It’s always a pleasure to have our good friend Jean-Benoit Hery from Champagne Moutard-Diligent show up around this time of year and pour his delicious Champagnes for our guests. This highly regarded grower-producer in the Cote de Bar has been on more than a roll lately, consistently turning out exceptionally fine, distinctively pure Champagnes.

But it was especially nice to have him appear this past Tuesday at our newly renovated Naples location at 2755 E Tamiami Trail.  The new guest-centric wine design was a hit with our returning Florida snowbirds who had a chance to catch a glimpse of the layout for the first time.  A lot of effort went into the new design, so it was especially rewarding to hear the many positive comments. 

Guests who attended the event this past Tuesday evening had an opportunity to sample the newest release of Cuvee des 6 Cepages, an iconoclastic blend of all six permitted Champagne grape varieties, including the rare Arbanne and Petit Meslier added to equal portions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc. 

Moutard Cuvee 6 Cepages 2006

The 2006 release was a crowd favorite with a lovely bright gold hue and rich notes of hazelnut, pear, coffee, pastry and toast.  The mousse has a beautiful bead of tiny bubbles and a long persistence on the palate. Produced in limited quantities (only 1500 cases were made) this wine is a delight now, but has plenty of life ahead for further development in the cellar. 

Jim Greeley, SW Florida Wine Supervisor. Follow me on Twitter @abcwinejimg.