2012 Godme Millesime Extra Brut

Hugues Godme has been on my radar since I tasted and subsequently offered a stellar 2008 Brut Millesime. They are not wines I see often because the quantities they produce are small.  With their extended lees aging (10 years, in the case of the 2012), we are just starting to see the follow up vintage to the 2008!

Last year in Epernay, I tasted 2012. Needless to say, I was impressed with the quality of the wine and doubled down on efforts to source and bring this Champagne to you. The first parcel arrived a couple of months back, and in deference to our Grower Club, we introduced it to them first.  In our monthly zoom tasting, members reacted to the quality of the wine just as I had, one member describing it as incredibly energetic! I know this wine is fantastic, but it’s always good to get the feedback and validation.

There is a maturity to the palate, more so than the nose, as the white flower and citrus hints indicate freshness and vibrancy. You might guess you’re about to taste a younger wine, but then the palate offers depth and richness that you get from the very best Champagne. The blend of 60% Chardonnay 40%, Pinot Noir harvested from the Grand Cru vineyards of Verzenay and Verzy, coupled with the quality of the 2012 vintage surely adds to the wines underlying minerality and acidity on the palate.

If you are not familiar with this Champagne producer, I invite you to give this wine a try.  If you enjoy Champagne, you are going to find this exceptional!  

— STORY —

Verzenay, Montagne de Reims  - Champagne Hugues Godmé is a small grower located in the Grand Cru village of Verzenay, right off the main road as you enter back into the forest.  

In 1976, while still in highschool, Hugues Godme was given charge of an acre of vines to test his mettle as a vigneron. He took to it with a passion!  Very quickly, he adopted the revolutionary thinking that had been stirring France’s entire wine industry and he was alive with new, philosophical ideas about how to tend vineyards in line with the planet’s ecosystems, without the pesticides that had destroyed the soil of the previous generation, and in a way that expressed terroir. 

In 1983, Hughes' younger sister Sabine joined the domaine and over time, they found they had diverging visions. Firstly, they didn’t see eye to eye about how Champagne should be produced.  Historically, only two labels had come out of the Godmé estate, which were farmed and vinified together. Ultimately, it was all the same juice.  

They also found they couldn’t agree on dosage (added sugar). Hugues, who was an integral part of the Champagne revolution, typically favored lower dosage or at least a varying dosage dependent on the vintage. Sabine, more old school, wanted to keep consistency as a priority.

And perhaps their biggest disagreement was about farming practices. Hughes had become an ardent devotee of the biodynamic movement, precluding any chemical intervention and Sabine favored keeping their options open.

With dramatically different value systems and Hughes feeling so strongly about his approach, a split was inevitable. Since he had married a family also in the Champagne business, Hughes was able to combine his wife’s land with what remained of his, resulting in 7.6 hectares.  

Another matter also pushed Hugues to biodynamic farminng. His skin was becoming irritated from contact with the chemicals, which raised concerns about the impact these chemical treatments might be having on his overall health, and others! It took time to make the transition, but in 2006 they began to farm organically; certification followed in 2013. Biodynamic certification came the following year in 2014. 

Their vines average 30 years-old but the oldest are sixty! Since making the change to biodynamic farming, the vineyards are healthier and more resistant to disease and today Godmé is a part of the biodynamic winegrowers association, Biodyvin.

Their 7.5 hectares cover four villages in the north and east of the Grand Montagne - and west in the Petite Montagne: Verzenay, Verzy, Villers Marmery, and Ville-Dommange. Verzenay and Verzy are two of the most famous villages for Pinot Noir in the Grand Montagne, the others being Bouzy and Ambonnay. Verzy and Verzenay sit on north facing slopes and have a completely different expression compared to Bouzy and Ambonnay, which face south. Peter Liem, in his book, Champagne, describes the wines of Verzenay and Verzy as, 

“sleek in shape, thriving as much on finesse as on body. While they can be concentrated in their ripeness, they are rarely opulent, retaining a firm structure and prominent acidity even in the warmest vintages. In contrast to the luscious red-fruit flavors of Bouzy and Ambonnay, the wines from this part of the Montagne de Reims are slimmer, more acidic, and more structured.”

In the cellar, they work with spontaneous fermentations in neutral oak and enamel-lined cement tanks. They move juice by gravity to retain fresh aromas and each parcel is vinified separately to respect individual terroir. The top wines are vinified directly in the barrel. Malolactic fermentation happens sometimes and there are no efforts to stop or encourage it. The second fermentation happens in their cellar carved out of chalk right below one of their vineyards in Verzenay.

Vinification can be between 30 months and 10 years, and a high percentage of reserve wines (up to 70% in his non-vintage cuvees) which gives the wines added depth and complexity. Oftentimes they are finished with zero dosage.  

He describes his farming as a way of “cultivating life, beyond practice, we feed on others, on encounters, on readings, on what surrounds us.” He prides himself on observation and making choices at the right time; i.e. what cover crops are planted between the rows, when to plow, when to apply natural, compost treatments or essential oils. All the elements are meticulously considered.

Hugues’s works for the sake of pleasure, either making the bubbles, or drinking them. Today, his wife Dominique manages all things administrative, and the lineage will go on with his daughter Lucille, who has recently joined to perpetuate their bubbles that bring them, and everyone else, so much happiness.