With the Tour de France now underway, Champagne Castelnau has celebrated with the launch a special edition cuvée to mark a 10-year partnership with the world’s most famous cycling event.
The Champagne, called Véloce, is a limited edition bottling of their Brut NV blend, and will be served exclusively in the VIP areas of the departure and arrival villages of each étape.
The tour starts in Brest, in the far East of France and finishes three weeks later in Paris on the 18 July in Paris there are plenty of opportunities for drinkers to sample the Champagne.
The unveiling of Véloce comes shortly after the release of the producer’s Hors Catégorie C.M 1993, the third cuvée forming part of Castelnau’s prestigious ‘Hors Catégorie’ collection.
Champagne C.M 1993 is named in honour of the height in meters of the Col de Madeleine, the toughest mountain pass endured on Le Tour de France in 2013, the year that this cuvée was bottled.
Véloce is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes, with a minimum three years spent ageing in Castelnau’s cellars. It has around 20% ‘reserve’ wines from older harvests, and a dosage of 8g/l.
For more information on Champagne Castelnau, head over to the brand’s official website.
In other Champagne news, Rémy Cointreau has unveiled its first-ever Champagne house, Telmont, and the house’s goals for a more sustainable future under the concept of “In Nomine Terrae” (In the Name of Mother Nature). Over the next decade, the house will become 100% organic and implement a variety of green initiatives, including eliminating outer packaging and gift boxes, transitioning to 100% renewable electricity, limiting greenhouse gas emissions indirectly related to its business, and more.
Earlier this month, Dom Pérignon unveiled its 2012 Vintage Champagne, which cellar master Vincent Chaperon called a “star vintage.” Chaperon called 2012 a “vintage where all the producers in Champagne have been able to get the best of their place thanks to the climate,” before comparing it to other great years in the region, like 1990 and 2008.