I like the name Cattier. Although it happens to be the surname of the gentleman who makes the wine, it has an almost superlative ring to it. The ?-er? ending makes it sound better somehow. Better than what, I don?t know, but it does add a little extra sparkle to this super bubbly.
This brand has only recently landed in India and while I shall furnish a tasting note shortly, a little something first about their strategy to penetrate India, a paradigm I found highly intriguing.
The company bringing in Cattier handles it not just here, but a few other places as well, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The markets there are assuredly much bigger, but their plans for India are no afterthought.
First of all, the most impressive thing about the house is their decision to introduce a vintage champagne in the market for hotels as also in retail. This is extremely unprecedented. While other (bigger) brands have already launched their vintage champagnes, the price point is significantly higher than the standard Brut bottling, and this makes them inaccessible. Cattier 2005 is being launched at R5,500, which sits in the same bracket as the Brut offering from any other champagne house. So, one can see the appeal in upgrading to this versus any other champagne on the shelf.
But before we make our choice, let?s take a moment to evaluate just what being vintage implies and if it necessarily means a better product. Unlike wines in general, the region of Champagne doesn?t declare the vintage on the bottle every year. This is because the fine wines of Champagne are a blend of multiple vintages, and it is this fine preserved art?as also the recipe?that make the prestige of a house, as also of the wines of Champagne in general. Only in certain years, when a particular champagne house feels that the weather conditions?from budding to harvest?have been optimum, do they decide to declare a vintage. This is a decision taken by a champagne house and not governed by any official body. So it is possible that one year maybe declared a vintage by one house, but not by another, even a neighbouring one. Ideally, you will see that no house declares a vintage more than once every three years, so, say, about three-four times in a decade. Over time, this trend may change and more vintages may be seen; as champenois say, with improved technology, they are better able to harness the weather to produce superior grapes, but many a sceptic economist will be more inclined to attribute this to pure market dynamics for a product, where demand regularly supersedes supply. But let?s steer clear of all controversies for the moment.
So obviously, a vintage champagne is rarer. It is also more of an expression of a given year rather than the blending techniques of a house. Some, thus, consider vintage champagnes to offer more ?purity? vis-a-vis a Brut blend, but once again, I will stay clear of any debatable issue. Suffice to say they are both fine wines and, given their rarity, vintage champagnes are dearer.
So Cattier?s plan to launch with a vintage champagne may come across as ambitious to some, but in reality, it is a great tactic: By pitching it next to the Brut styles of other houses, they are opening up a whole new category for consumers, who now have a very accessible price point to try vintage champagne for their own tactile curiosities.
The 2005 vintage, which I recently tasted, was a lovely wine (when is champagne not lovely?)?clean and fresh, fruity and hint-toasty, a gentle yet persistent pearl-like effervescence on the palate and a very soft buttery-brioche finish. If that doesn?t make you thirsty and hungry at the same time, I don?t know what more to say.
As a parting caveat, please do not confuse it with Cartier?neither as a brand, nor in pronunciation. Cattier has a distinct stress on the ?T? in the middle, whereas in Cartier, it is not only softer, but also accompanied by the ?R? sound. Both are laudable brands in their respective fields, but if you don?t pronounce them correctly, you don?t deserve to be meddling with either in any manner. You may, however, be allowed to shift residence to the untamed quarters of the capital.
The writer is a sommelier