Reliance Brut Champagne Frank Pascal NV

Reliance Brut Champagne Frank Pascal NV, biodynamic Champagne, mainly Pinot Meunier, with a little Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Reliance is pure finesse, a moment to savour and glass of wine to indulge in.  Great Champagne works fantastically well with food and Reliance for sure.  The mousse is very fine and subtle and the texture is both creamy yet taught with stunning acidity and freshness.  With Seafood, Risottos, Poultry, Fresh Water Fish, even more delicate cheeses, Reliance is fantastic.  Like many of the Pascal wines, Meunier dominates the blend and gives a structure which means the wine will age well and also once open for a day or two, still tastes superb even of the fizz has dissipated somewhat.  Great sparkling wine should always be like this, delicious even when the bubble has gone.

Franck Pascal started out as an engineer but the sad death of his brother and his spell in military service led to his taking over the family vines and a direction towards not just organic production but a fully integrated, holistic approach to vineyard management and wine production.

'After military service taught me all about the horrors of biological warfare and its effects on humans, I wanted to learn better methods of working with nature rather than using pesticides and herbicides for vines.' In everything he does, Franck goes a stage further. He developed his own natural compost after intense analysis of his soils and the small 7 hectare farm in Baslieux-sous-Châtillon is mostly ploughed using horses. Franck has also become a highly skilled wine maker and transforms his superb quality fruit into wine of great elegance and subtlety.