There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. (Chapter 3)

Champagne flows throughout The Great Gatsby novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Champagne continues to play a role in the latest film version by Baz Lurhmann, selected to open the Cannes Film Festival 2013, starring life size bottles of Moet & Chandon.

A pair of stage twins, who turned out to be the girls in yellow, did a baby act in costume, and champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger-bowls. (Chapter 3)

Set in the post-war and pre-depression summer of 1922, champagne is portrayed as defying prohibition before the appellation AOC Champagne was created.

The Great Show

There was dancing now on the canvas in the garden … By midnight the hilarity had increased. … I was enjoying myself now. I had taken two finger-bowls of champagne, and the scene had changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental, and profound. (Chapter 3)

Great Gatsby themed bars and parties and have been hosted around the world to coincide with the release of the film.

The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady from a famous chorus, engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne, and during the course of her song she had decided, ineptly, that everything was very, very sad — she was not only singing, she was weeping too. (Chapter 3)

The Great Growth

The title implies wealth, celebrity, magic, impression and deception. References to happy Champagne in Chapter 3 lose their sparkle towards the end of that chapter, and in Chapter 6 a flatter reference is released.

I remember the portrait of him up in Gatsby’s bedroom … It was indirectly due to Cody that Gatsby drank so little. Sometimes in the course of gay parties women used to rub champagne into his hair; for himself he formed the habit of letting liquor alone. (Chapter 6)

Playing a great role as a salacious drink during prohibition, symbolic references to illegality and imitation, social tensions and class rivalry, seduction and disillusion may appear to reflect the history of Champagne prior to the establishment of the CIVC the decade after The Great Gatsby first appeared.

He was profoundly affected by the fact that Tom was there. But he would be uneasy anyhow until he had given them something, realizing in a vague way that that was all they came for. Mr. Sloane wanted nothing. A lemonade? No, thanks. A little champagne? Nothing at all, thanks. . . . I’m sorry. (Chapter 6)

Baz Lurhman said ‘F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away [from Cannes]”.

There were the same people, or at least the same sort of people, the same profusion of champagne, the same many-colored, many-keyed commotion, but I felt an unpleasantness in the air, a pervading harshness that hadn’t been there before. (Chapter 6)

On the red carpet again, The Great Gatsby may toast to a century of success with a coupe of legally celebrated Champagne, and with a pervading freshness that is there now, “among the whisperings … and the stars”.

The theme of the 152nd Hospices de Beaune 2012 Burgundy Wine Auction is to help the young disadvantaged by epilepsy or access to education.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and the actor-vigneron Gérard Depardieu will be present to auction this year’s President’s Piéce.

Money raised from bidding on the 350 litre barrel of Corton Grand Cru “Charlotte de Dumay” will be shared between two foundations.

“Fondation Idée” is helping fight epilepsy and “Fondation Carla Bruni-Sarkozy” with the patronage of Gérard Depardieu wishes to eliminate illiteracy and encourage education, access to culture and the arts, under the motto “Knowledge is Power”.

As Anthony Hanson highlighted the importance of partership between the growers, the houses that mature the wine, and the exporters of each barrel for auction, the Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Foundation echoed this sentiment with the combined work of terroir and spirit, functioning a little like this to support education, culture and literacy.

Six piéces of Grand Cru Echezeaux Cuvée “Jean-Luc Bissey” have been donated by the fourth generation family producer from Burgundy from 10 ares of very old vines planted by their grandfather after the war at the end of the 1940′s in the heart of “Echezeaux du Dessus”. “The wine is marvellously fleshy, rich and perfumed, with finesse and elegance” said Roland Masse, delighted to receive a third Grand Cru from the Côte de Nuits to join Clos de la Roche and Mazis-Chambertin.

Masse, Director of the Hospices de Beaune vineyards, has declared Burgundy 2012 “a brilliant vintage”.

Depite every meteorological event possible experienced in Burgundy this year – snow, rain, frost, difficult flowering, hail, heat – this has created an environment for perfect concentration in the grapes, and superb wine.

2012 will win with quality over quantity with healthy, rich reds, and fresh whites, says Masse. There is disparity between quality of one vineyard to the next in the Cote de Beaune. The Cote de Nuits escaped all weather and disease pressures.

Roland Masse said that silky tannins with long finish are almost ideal, with perfect quality. Small, ripe, healthy berries give concentration and complexity.

Anthony Hanson tasted the wines for the first time with Masse in Beaune yesterday, and is very excited, comparing 2012 in Burgundy to 1961 in Bordeaux, a small havest resulting from millerandange following poor flowering, which produced perfect concentration.

The smallest harvest in 25 years, Hanson is confident not to worry if there is not so much wine available, as any amateurs passionate about Burgundy will appreciate this subtely, silky, fresh and exciting vintage.

There is a 33% reduction in barrels available for auction compared to last year.

A resurging interest from the USA and evolution of discovery, knowledge and passion from China may help balance the auction results.

85% of the Hospices wines are Grand and Premier Crus.

31 red and 13 white cuvées totalling 44, will be sold as 410 red and 111 white barrels- piéces.

Quality over quantity should encourage bidding on 18 November in the Beaune market place.

The stage is set for the 2012 Hospices Presidents First Lady and Depardieu act at the Hotel de Dieu.

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Crayeres and Garden Party

“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”

“Turning a corner, I saw that it was Gatsby’s house, lit from tower to cellar.”

 F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby

Reims, Saturday 30 June 2012

TRAIT – D – UNION

Monday 16 April 2012, Domaine Jacques Selosse, Avize

In Anselme Selosse style this was the “On”.

A note-card with tasting details, simply folded in three, with design and support to write and rest your glass on at once.

It advised:

A common appellation
Paths that cross
Villages that share
Gestures that connect and give a sense
Of wines of reference
From the same sun and different soils
Words exchanged
A moment ‘avisé’
A tasting
A hyphen. ‘Trait-d-union’

(my translation)

TRAIT – D – UNION

Une appellation commune
Des chemins qui se croisent
Des villages qui se partagent
Des gestes qui relient et qui donnent sens
A des vins référents
D’un même soleil et de sols différénts
Des mots échangés
Un moment avisé
Une dégustation
Trait-d-union.

The six:

Domaine Roger Coulon, Vrigny
Isabelle and Eric Coulon

Domaine Egly-Ouriet, Ambonnay
Annick and Francis Egly

Domaine Jacquesson, Dizy
Jean-Hervé and Laurent Chiquet

Domaine La Closerie, Gueux
Agnés and Jérôme Prevost

Domaine Larmandier-Bernier, Vertus
Sophie and Pierre Larmandier

Domaine Jacques Selosse, Avize
Corinne and Anselme Selosse

Terroirs & Talents de Champagne

Sunday 15 April 2012, Epernay

The ”Off” introduced another 14 growers to the Champagne vins clairs festival.

The weekend viewing showed established terroirs and exposed new talents:

Champagne Aspasie (Brouillet)
Champagne Coessens (Fouchères)
Champagne de Sousa (Avize)
Champagne Fallet-Dart (Drachy)
Champagne Philippe Gonet (le-Mesnil-sur-Oger)
Champagne Jacques Copinet (Montgenost)
Champagne Janisson Baradon et Fils (epernay)
Champagne Maurice Vesselle (Bouzy)
Champagne Maxime Blin (Trigny)
Champagne Michel Loriot (Festigny)
Champagne Penet Chardonnet (Verzy)
Champagne Sélèque (Pierry)
Champagne Serge Mathieu (avirey Lingey)
Champagne Vazart Coquart (Chouilly)

www.terroirs-et-talents-de-champagne.fr

Les Artisans de Champagne Le Salon à Reims 17 April 2012

Making its debut as a “Salon des refusés” in 2011, Les Artisans de Champagne again showed their Champagnes in a Reims annex the day after the third edition of Terres et Vin in Aÿ.

14 Artisans from Champagne each presented 3 vins clairs and 3 Champagnes.

1 guest invited from Burgundy, Nicolas Rossignol, showed a trio of vintages 2008, 2009 and 2012 from two Volnay 1er Crus Cevret and Cailleret.

Following an evening eating and drinking stars with the Artisans at L’Assiete de Champagne, the second exhibition installed this impressive avant-garde “Salon des Admis”.

Invité pour le Salon 2012

Nicolas Rossignol, Volnay

Les Artisans

Nicolas Maillart
Marc Hebrart
Gilles Lancelot
François Huré
Antoine Paillard
Jérôme Dehours
Christophe Constant
Nicolas Jaeger
Laurent Champs
Frédéric Savart
Arnaud Margaine
Julie et Xavier Gonet Medeville
Pascal Gerbais
Yannick Doyard

www.lesartisansduchampagne.com

Terres et Vins de Champagne IV 2012

Vagabondages en Coteaux Sunday 15 April

19 wines by 19 producers. Champagnes were tasted in vineyards where they grew and with the vignerons who made them, and Coteaux Rouge vins accompanied a vine-fire and candle-lit BBQ banquet in the harvesters’ building in one of the Laherte terres.

Terres et Vins IV edition of Vins Clairs 2011 & Champagne selection at Aÿ, Monday 16 April

19 producers presented 3 Vins Clairs and 3 Champagnes by each member of the inaugural group of Vins Clairs April vignerons.

Last year moustached for the anniversary of the 1911 revolt, this year like convicts in stripes:

Pascal Agrapart
Françoise Bedel
Raphaël Bérèche
Francis Boulard
Alexandre Chartogne
Vincent Couche
Pascal Doquet
Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy
Etienne Gourtorbe
Olivier Horiot
Cyril Jeaunaux
Benoït Lahaye
Aurélien Laherte
David Léclapart
Dominique Moreau
Franck Pascal
Olivier Paulet
Frabrice Pouillon
Benoït Tarlant

www.terresetvinsdechampagne.com

Fourteen Premiers Grands Crus Classés de Saint Emilion presented during Primeurs 2011.

Fourteen Stations of the Cross depicted on the walls of the Collégiate Church in Saint Emilion.

First 1er GCC tasted at Cheval Blanc on Monday morning of Holy Week, the first primeurs tasted in the new chai.

Thirteen 1er GCC tasted at Château Canon on Good Friday.