First Entrant in the “Robusto Rumble” – Partagas D4 Robusto – Pommery Extra Brut ‘Louise’ 2004

Rob recently came up with a terrific idea – the “Robusto Rumble”. I immediately had visions of Hulk Hogan in the ring announcing the fight to the death between a RASS and a CoRo! He dropped off a bundle, noting that he was a couple short but that they were on their way. A couple short! I do not wish to be Ronnie-Rain-On-Your-Parade but has anyone looked to see how many Robustos there are?

Dozens of the things. Regional Releases out the wahzoo, Limited Editions falling out of trees, some discontinued, some one-offs, some just appear and disappear and of course, the regular production Robustos. And that is what the Rumble will be about. 

The order of smoking? Given that I am not doing them all at once, mildest to most full-bodied really doesn’t matter. Alphabetical? My perception of best to worst or worst to best? Lucky dip?

In the end, I just felt like I deserved a good evening (well, I always feel that, and who deserves one more). A good mate had dropped by – he is about to celebrate his 60th and seemed to feel he deserved good champagne. So we cracked a stellar bottle – the Pommery ‘Extra Brut ‘Louise’ 2004. I needed to look at it for a review I was doing for something else so killing two birds with the one bottle seemed ideal – his timing was perfect. Then, I thought I’ll put some aside to compare with the first Robusto this evening and so we moved on to a brilliant Navazos Manzanilla, No 42. Wonderful (it originally comes from a Bodega in Jerez called Ayala – no relation I assume/hope). 

For dinner, a mate who is a brilliant chef had given me some of his special tripe – I swap a few bottles of wine for it – and I made a fresh loaf of crusty bread to go with it. Also picked some fresh-as-possible basil. A swine in excrement! I had taped ‘Black Panther’, as I had never seen it (had heard some very ordinary reviews but I must admit that I really enjoyed it). So post my tripe dinner, it was Robusto and Louise (sounds like a Spanish movie). 

I thought I'd go with a good one to start with. I was thinking CoRo, but then I went Partagas D4, a cigar I love. In retrospect, probably a smidge full-bodied for the champagne but no matter. 

Not sure of the age of the D4, but I'm thinking quite young, possibly very young. The wrapper was a little veiny, but otherwise it looked good. A hint of russet. Good construction. Kicked off with roasted and toasted notes. Rich and toasty throughout. Some dark chocolate and a little earthiness, but the earthy notes did not detract. Quite powerful throughout. There was a real cocoa powder character, which pretty much ran the length of the cigar. Quite full throughout. Took a good hour and a half. Really enjoyed it. A cracking Robusto and it will be interesting to see if any can top it. The Rumble is off to a great start. 

The champagne – a blend of around 2/3rds Chardonnay from Cramant and Avize and 1/3rd Pinot Noir from Ay (the blend is typically more like 60/40). 51 different plots contributed. Dosage around 5 grams/litre and the wine spent more than a decade on lees, building complexity. A$269. 

Immediate oystershell notes, citrus, lemon and a hint of grapefruit, but also gentle notes, in the background, of vanilla, toast and honey. Supple, lovely texture but the palate fills out. Fantastic length. 97. Just a brilliant champagne. 

Pommery is a really interesting House. Originally founded in 1856, or 1858 depending on your sources or how one prefers to interpret the history. 

Madame Pommery had her first child in her early twenties. Her husband, Alexandre-Louis, had enjoyed a successful and lucrative career in the wool industry and the couple had decided to retire and enjoy life. To their surprise, Madame Pommery fell pregnant again at 38 (the sprogs were called Louis and Louise, so perhaps not the most imaginative of families). Enough of a life of leisure. Alexandre-Louis decided to re-enter the business world and did so by investing in the champagne industry. He joined Narcisse Greno and hence, Pommery and Greno in 1856. 

Sadly, he fell off the perch in 1858 and Madame Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Melin Pommery had to step up, despite having zero experience. She did so while caring for her two children, a 17-year-old and an 18-month-old, and was successful beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

At this time, it is very likely that Pommery was making light red wines, rather than champagne, which was very sweet. Madame Pommery took the decision to move away from reds to champagnes but, in time, she would make a ground-breaking call, which would change the face of champagne forever and would even be celebrated in song. 

Not many wines, let alone champagnes, have songs written about them. Recently, we did have Jay-z rapping about Louis Roederer’s Cristal – and didn’t that go well when it was made very clear that the House would rather have nothing to do with him. Other than that?

A song about the 1874 Pommery, however, had a more welcoming response. The ‘Ode to Pommery 1874’, sung to the tune of ‘Old Lang Syne’, immortalised this famous wine (and no, I can’t get it to fit either). 

“Farewell, then, Pommery

Seventy-Four

With reverential sips

We part and grieve that never…”

Quite what comes next I have been unable to ascertain. 

But why this wine? This was the champagne which Madame Pommery decided should be made in a much drier style, largely for the UK market. In reality, it was probably still a wine which would have been seen as excessively sweet by drinkers today, but it offered just a fraction of the sweetness that was usual at the time. Basically, the level of sugar was reduced from around 150 grams/litre to just 30 (most standard NVs sit around the 7 to 12 grams/litre these days – this Louise is just 5 grams/litre). 

Madame Pommery’s customers in the UK loved the new style, known as Brut, and champagne was changed forever. Certainly something to sing about. Pommery still have a bottle of the 1874 in their cellars, at least they did when I last visited a few years ago. 

As for a match with the D4, one of the reasons I paired them was a few years back, talking with the Dom Perignon Chef du Cave du jour (he has just retired), Richard Geoffroy, after he had opened a 1964 Dom from the Abbey cellars, he recommended the D4 as a match for that ’64. 

For me, the D4 was too powerful for the delicacy of the Louise. Both were delightful individually and they were far from a disaster as a match, but it was certainly not one which enhanced either. It happens. 

But a thoroughly enjoyable evening – tripe, a top cigar and a great champagne and a good movie. 

Any day of the week. 

KBG