The future of young women at American Sparkling Wine is here

It was a bold entrepreneurial vision in 1973 to purchase 500 acres of sheep ranching land to grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, but 45 years later it’s safe to say the risk has paid off. fruits. Chandon was the first French sparkling wine producer in Napa Valley and is today one of the most popular American sparkling wine brands. They make 16 different sparkling wines using the traditional method, following all the rules for making champagne, but in California.

With a young director of Champagne winemaking at its head, Chandon is looking to the future. It takes two years to make a sparkling wine, so Pauline LhoteThe first new wines have just been released. She reduced the dosage, displaying her confidence in the quality of the grapes, and her wines have a new vivacity and opulence, a bright bouquet and a soft, rich finish. Wine journalist and author Karen MacNeil agrees that “the deliciousness quotient has increased significantly” with Chandon’s new releases.

Lhote was promoted in 2016 after 12 harvests to the Chandon winemaking team. At just 35 years old, she has already received industry accolades such as Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 and can easily relate to millennial sparkling wine drinkers attracted to the Chandon brand. Her bubbly personality matches the fun, fruity drink she specializes in. She is a woman who grew up in Champagne and knew she wanted to become a winemaker at just 14 years old. She earned a winemaking diploma in Reims and worked at Moët & Chandon and Nicolas Feuillatte before moving to Napa and she never looked back.

How would you describe Chandon sparkling wine compared to champagne?

Working in Chandon for 12 years gave me enough time to fully understand the region. I come from Champagne so tradition is very important. But for me it is not a question of reproducing what is done there. I want to make wine that is representative of California and where we are. It’s really about showcasing the sparkle in the glass, making it a vibrant, easy-drinking wine. Champagne is a party affair and we are more of an everyday affair. With Chandon’s price, you don’t worry about opening a bottle on a Monday or Tuesday. Our wines are friendly, inviting and easy to drink.

What is your new vision for Chandon? I love that you have reduced the sweetness of your new releases while still maintaining a really rich and balanced wine.

We really increased the intensity and aromas on the palate. I worked a lot on the texture of the wine, not so much the structure, but the texture. We want to retain the acidity but have a soft, layered mouthfeel from aging and malolactic fermentation. We have increased the percentage of malolactic. I also use more reserve wine in the blend for added complexity.

Sweet Star is Chandon’s new wine, a semi-dry released in June 2016. What was the commercial reason behind this?

In France, we make wine that we like, but here we make wine to appeal to consumers. The American market likes sweeter wines, so we produce wine to satisfy that palate. At Chandon we get a lot of visitors, so we get direct feedback at the visitor center about how people like their wine. The sweet style was born from this. It’s versatile enough that you can drink it as is but you can also mix cocktails. We love the sparkling wine cocktails at Chandon. Especially with brunch.

Who are your guests at the visitor center?

In general, we have a more millennial clientele, with a lot of young women coming through the doors. At Chandon, we have one of the best outdoor spaces in Napa where we can encourage a casual tasting experience. This resonates with young people and they feel comfortable. We’re also here to educate, but we want people to have a good time when they come to Napa.

Which of your wines do you drink most often?

The Chandon rosé is my favorite overall. I started my career working on rosé, so it has always been my specialty. Rosé is much more technical to make due to the blending of red wine. We do not use the bleeding method, but do a very short maceration to extract the color at the beginning of the process and as soon as we obtain alcohol we press it so as not to recover the bitterness and astringency of the tannins . We also use techniques such as thermovinification. We heat the grapes to 70°C, then they pass through a vacuum chamber to obtain the color of the skin. Then we ferment off the skin to create a wine with a smooth, long finish. If you have phenolic compounds in the fizz, then you end up with a dry, bitter note that is not the most appealing.

What is your favorite food pairing with Chandon?

For me, Chandon should be paired with simple dishes. One of my favorite pairings is Chandon rosé with a burger. People don’t think of sparkling wine with meat, but it goes with everything. My perfect burger is a mushroom and avocado cheeseburger. Our sweeter style wines are great with tacos.

I’m surprised you knew you wanted to make sparkling wine when you were just 14 years old. What attracted you to winemaking?

I grew up on a farm in Champagne, but not in a vineyard. My parents grew sugar beets, potatoes, wheat and barley. Agriculture is what I knew and viticulture is quite close to it. My brothers and I tasted wine when we were kids. Our parents would put a few drops in a glass of water – they called it a “cloud”. But I always wanted my wine to be pure so I could really taste it.

From the start, I wanted to be a winemaker to make champagne. I started from scratch when I was a teenager: cutting, pulling pipes, setting up pumps, working in the cellars. The good thing about sparkling wine is its complexity. When you bottle the wine, you’re not even halfway through the process. There are so many steps and it’s a more technical wine to make than a simple still wine and the complexity of the process is really what interested me in the beginning. Today, I also make still wines in Chandon, but my specialty is sparkling wine.

What was it like coming to California to work, so far from home, at such a young age?

I remember crying when I left Champagne and not wanting to do it. I was pushed by my two brothers and my parents. To be very honest with you, the number one goal was to improve my English. They thought it would be important for my career and I should listen to them.

When I arrived here, I realized that there was much more to learn than English. I discovered a new region, a new way of working. I like the action-oriented environment here. In the first few months, the level of responsibility I had was truly incredible. I organized everything that happened in the cellar. I knew Champagne, I knew the process and they wanted to give me a job as an assistant winemaker when I was just 23 years old. In France, this would never have happened.

I really love American culture for that. Here they give you a chance if you prove you can do it. Once you show you can do it, people will trust you and expect you to succeed, so you better not disappoint! It’s very stimulating and that’s what I like. I also love the laid back lifestyle in California. Napa Valley is a great place to live.