This Week's Tasting
Champagne Tasting with Winemaker Sebastien Girost - at 1 State St.
April 30, 2025
Sebastien Girost makes some of the most popular and well-priced champagnes we offer. We are excited to welcome him this Wednesday for a tasting in our office at 1 State Street, 10th floor, half a block away from the store.
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This Week Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Champagne Tasting with Winemaker Sebastien Girost in our office 1 State st 10th floor across from Old State House
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Sebastien Girost makes some of the most popular and well-priced champagnes we offer. We are excited to welcome him this Wednesday for a tasting in our office at 1 State st.10th floor, half a block away from the store.
He comes from several generations of grape growers in the rural village of Congy in the less known Coteaux de Morin midway between Epernay and the chalky Cotes de Sezanne. His friend, cult icon Ulysse Collin is the only other notable producer in the village.
Since 2002, he has estate-bottled some of the wines of his family's small 4 ha holdings.
He harvests by hand from plots averaging between 60- and 70 years. Sebastien is committed to working as naturally as possible in the vineyards –using organic techniques and chemical treatments only when necessary.
In the cellar, Sebastien accords striking attention to the blending process – he separately vinifies each of his 22 different parcels, performing three distinct presses for each, and ages his wines in used 228-liter barrels
Like Collin, Girost makes ripe and richly expressive wines. His standard Brut is very good, one of the least expensive, best champagne values we have found .
It’s generally half Meunier grape, which makes Congy distinctive. Sébastien inhibits malolactic for freshness and ages the wine in bottle on its lees much longer than most champagnes. Its fruit is so fresh that Sebastien needs low dosage to round it it is as are all of his champagnes , just above Brut o\r Extra Brut barely above Extra Brut.
It thrusts out a powerful aroma of lemony apple and pear. That continues in the mouth, offset by a pleasant astringence of Meunier given roundness by Pinot Noir, elegance by chardonnay, and dimension by light earth notes of lees-aging on the finish.
The next best part is the price. Unlike Collin, Girost is not yet famous and, so far, has severely underpriced his wines.
All the wines we offer except the Dure Peine prearrival are here pre tariff purchased with a stronger dollar. Prices are likely to rise after local stocks have been purchased.
We’ll taste five wines
Girost-Moussy Brut Tradition;
What the Girost family used to send to the local co op. 60%older reserve wines, half meunier, a third chardonnay the rest pinot Noir, it is lighter than his others, is lighter than the others. It is the best value in inexpensive champagne we have found.
aroma: heady and full, broad; Mouth: clean light rounded clan direct refreshing; Very Good $35; Case, $29.75
Sebastien Girost Brut Reserve;
The estate’s anchor, same grape blends as the Girost-Moussy, dosage just above Extra Brut Aroma: toasty, pretty, fruit, nicely spiced, lifted fruity; Mouth: clean very fine,. elegant, nice lemony acid, note Fresh fruity, fine good drive; Very Good - Excellent $42; Case, $36
2018 Sebastien Girost Millesime Blanc de Blancs
Not on the label, it is Extra Brut. It is a wine of power, class and finesse that will age for several years
Aroma: Herbal clean dense, some lees, form; Mouth: Rounded and forwardly spicy on entry, youthful acidity, underlain by firm mineral, good length; Excellent $55; Case, $47
Sebastien Girost ‘Dure Peine’ Pur Meunier
From a vineyard labeled ‘Hard Labor’ because it is so difficult to work. An extraordinary rendition of the Pinot Meunier grape with nutty herbal notes over round fruit and firm structure This has been a surprise favorite for many people at our annual champagne event.
Color: very clean; Aroma: heady very dense, firm, rather spicy, lifted and pretty; Excellent $59; Case, $5o Pre-June arrival
Sebastien Girost Brut Rose de Saignee
Girost makes this blend of half each of the Pinots with the rarer, purer process of fermenting the wine as rose rather than adding red to white. Lush, savory and elegant.
Color: very light rose; Aroma: plummy, very clean decent, full; Mouth: light clean evanescent, light plum, pretty very fine linear acid; Very Good - Excellent $52; Case, $44
some wines in limited qunatity
all offered subject to pre-sale
Len Rothenberg
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
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FREE DELIVERY!
downtown on orders more than $75;
in Greater Boston on orders more than $199
