Tuesday 21st November 2023 - 19:00 until 21:30
Club Room, Fredericks Restaurant 106 Camden Passage, Islington, N1 8EG
Presenter: Nick Baker Founder TheFinestBubble.com & Richard Bampfield MW
UK Launch of Champagnes from Domaine Alexandre Bonnet - 24 tickets released

Having worked with Essi Avellan MW over the years she encouraged me to taste these champagnes on a number of occasions, each time they stood out; made reductively, no oak, displaying great precision and weight of fruit, there is a real elegance to them. Alexandre Bonnet don’t have a UK agent, I decided to import them myself and this is our first event to launch the champagnes and a unique still wine with its own appellation, Rosé des Riceys.

Alexandre Bonnet Champagne House as we know it today goes back to 1970, in the stunning hillside village of Les Riceys, nearer and sharing more in common with Chablis than the rest of Champagne. With three Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) of Champagne, Coteaux Champenois and Rosé des Riceys, makes it unique in the world of winemaking. Its 838 hectares of vineyards make Les Riceys the largest wine producing village area in the Champagne region.

Today the estate is 47 hectares of vineyards, exceptional land often steep dramatic hillsides. The soils are quite different to the rest of champagne with subsoils mainly composed of marly or argillaceous limestone, helping to promote elegant and complex aromas while retaining a generosity of fruit. Alain Pailley has been chef de Cave since 1985, retiring in October 2023 and handing on to his deputy Irvin Charpentier who at just 30 years old has been "in training" since 2018. The estate became part of the Lanson BCC Group in 1998.

Bespoke Menu with Domaine Alexandre Bonnet Champagnes: *
I recently taste tested our menu with the co-owner of Fredericks and we were both blown away by the lamb and the two rose from AB, one is sparkling, one is still and they both gain more dimensions with the lamb dish. There is always a delicious outcome when you bridge flavours in the food, here the caramelisation of the meat brings out more elements in the wines. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did in preparing the menu.

Apéritif:
Domaine Alexandre Bonnet Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV 75cl rrp £58.00


Starter: Smoked Salmon & Dressed Crab with Avocado

Domaine Alexandre Bonnet Les Contrees 7 Cepages 2019 75cl rrp £88


Main Course: Slow Cooked Lamb, Lightly Seared, on Green Beans & Jus Plus Confit Potatoes

Domaine Alexandre Bonnet Les Contrees Rose Extra Brut 2019 rrp £78
and
Domaine Alexandre Bonnet La Foret Rose Des Riceys 2020 rrp £46


Cheese Course: Comté & Aged Parmesan

Domaine Alexandre Bonnet Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut NV rrp £46

* We can adapt the menu to dietary requirements.

Nick Baker The founder of The Finest Bubble, Nick has worked in the wine industry since leaving university in 1989, starting in sales and moving to marketing. He spent a year working with MMD & Champagne Louis Roederer before getting the taste for California and heading to Sonoma County for a few years. He set up TFB in 2014, testing the concept of same day delivery in London for Champagne. The website grew quickly and the service is now even more focused: delivering to London within two hours from a range of 800+ Champagnes and English sparkling wines and an ever increasing range of wine. Nick visits Reims and Épernay many times a year, researching new producers and future releases and works with the best industry tasters like Essi Avellan MW where Nick & Essi host a regular Instagram video discussing some of the latest releases from Champagne.

Richard Bampfield MW Richard graduated in French from Cambridge in 1981 and immediately decided the wine trade was where he could put the language to best use. He managed retail wine shops in the North West of England for JW Lees Brewers for 7 years, then spent a year getting his hands dirty in vineyards around the world, also working in wine cellars in California and Australia. Having passed the Master of Wine Exam in 1990, he joined the Australian producer, Brown Brothers, and managed their European operations until 1999. He left them to set up his own company, specialising in public relations and offering wine talks, tours and courses. Principal clients include Yvon Mau (Bordeaux), Albert Bichot (Burgundy), Lidl, Leith’s School of Food and Wine, Santa Rita (Chile), Château Sociando-Mallet, Linton Park (South Africa) and the English Wine Group. Richard is a past Chairman of the Association of Wine Educators and was the European Champagne Ambassador 2009.

The venue will be Club Room, Fredericks Restaurant - Frederick’s was established in Camden Passage by Louis Segal in 1969, and has been run by the Segal family ever since. Originally a pub (The Duke of Sussex who was named Frederick, hence the name), and then converted into a private house, Louis Segal purchased the property and set about running Frederick’s with no restaurant experience, though plenty of acumen. Since then whilst focusing on our core; excellent food, quality service and wine we have grown by installing The Conservatory in 1982, The Clarence room in 1990 and The Club room in 2014.

Tickets are restricted two per account. If you require more please email us.