250th birthdays are rare for Champagne – so rare that only 4 have ever been celebrated. This year marks the impressive milestone for Champagne Delamotte, making it the sixth joint oldest Champagne House. Celebrations are, most definitely, in order. To kick things off, Didier Depond, President of Champagne Delamotte and Champagne Salon, spent all last week with us, visiting top Delamotte customers throughout the country. An intense programme included visits and tastings with Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, top restaurants such as The Square and the Gordon Ramsay Group in London as well as outside, such as Gérard Basset’s stunning TerraVina, the gorgeous new Limewood Hotel on the fringes of the New Forest, and Cunard Cruises.
Last Thursday was the turn of 50 lucky, private customers, who came to the Groucho Club in Soho for a celebration dinner. Brut NV bubbles kicked off the evening with a quick word from Adam and Didier about the relationship between Corney & Barrow and Champagne Delamotte and Salon; we have been lucky enough to be exclusive agents for Delamotte for 15 years (and Salon for almost 10.)
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger should always be said in the same breath as Delamotte, Adam then stressed, referring to the most prestigious of villages in the Côte des Blancs, where both Delamotte (and Salon) are based. This unique location means that the grapes used in Delamotte’s blanc de blancs non-vintage and vintage cuvées are 100% Grand Cru – a little known point of distinction for Delamotte.
We matched Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV with potted crayfish; this style is so quintessentially Delamotte, at once soft and delicate but precise, its minerality cutting through the richness of the starter.
The main course was a sea bass with roasted fennel, paired with the Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 1999, the current vintage release from Delamotte. This wine is showing beautifully now, having emerged from its chrysalis in the last year. Its white blossom aromatics, ripe citrus flavours and incisive minerality proved an excellent match to this dish, and demonstrated yet again how well Champagnes can partner food. Our next glass was Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 1990, a special and rare treat for Corney & Barrow customers as there are no further stocks available for purchase; Didier very generously provided these bottles from Delamotte’s precious library archive, for the 250th dinner. Guests were not disappointed; the 1990 is the perfect evolution of the 1999, showing more complex aromas yet retaining its freshness and flavours of stone fruit and white flowers. The wine blossomed in the glass, developing notes of baking bread, brioche and mushrooms. The palate was perfectly balanced showing great finesse, power and elegance.
A birthday isn’t a birthday without a cake! We had Delamotte’s 250th anniversary cake hand made to a special recipe containing ground almonds and topped with delicate wild berries, the perfect match for a glass of Delamotte’s elegant saignée Rosé with its delicate acidity and fresh raspberry and cranberry notes.
Salon hits the big 100 next year, so more celebrations in store. Watch this space…
