CHAMPAGNE DELAROCQUE: TRADITION AND INNOVATION

Interview with Franco Descalzi, general manager of Delarocque Champagne

Tell us about Delarocque Maison?

Delarocque Champagne is a brand of champagne located in Le Mesnil sur Oger.  The brand has existed for 202 years and since 2017 a project of rebranding has been started in order to make the brand more attractive in our modern time. We are an independent maison, where the productive process is followed with attention from a small number of people who take care of every phase: from the pressing of the grapes, to fermentation, to the manual application of the French pewter label. Our purpose is to offer high-quality champagne to consumers who do not stop at the label but know how to appreciate the true taste of wine. We are convinced that often the buyers, who are not experts, just stop “at the brand” when it comes to judging what they drink, that’s why we aim to encourage them to go further.

What is the origin of the name?

Champagne Delarocque was originated from the legendary history of the count Jacques Gerard Delarocque, who remained orphan at a very early age and developed a passion for Western cultures, arts and for beauty. In 1815, during a revolt provoked by Napoleon’s general mobilization order, Jacques rescued an unconscious girl and took her to his castle. As the sun went down, after several days in which the count had lost his appetite for the woman’s condition, he decided to start dinner by opening a bottle from his cellar. The room was filled with a sweet, fruity fragrance that penetrated the woman’s nose and made her breathe again. At that moment, the girl woke up and the count was extremely fascinated by the sparkle in the eyes of the young woman while the woman, still stunned, was attracted by the count’s kindness. It was love at first sight. The count swore eternal love to the lady and promised her that, together, they would have sealed their love in wine. On the  April 1815 Maison Delarocque was born from the passion of the count and Marguerite. For many years, the company has been involved in supplying champagne to a small number of families belonging to the French high nobility.

What is the motto of the maison? And why?

Certainly, our corporate motto is: “From the land of tradition to the spirit of innovation”. The land of tradition, for us, represents the fidelity to the territory of Champagne-Ardenne, to the classic method “Champenoise” and to the manual coating of the bottle with the pewter front label that is produced by hand. The spirit of innovation is the desire to exploit the tools that technology makes available for all of us in order to communicate with the rest of the world, as a big maison does. On the other hand, regarding the champagne, our payoff is: “L’éternité du Gout”. This metaphor is referred to the love, attention and passion that we dedicate to wine during its production, the same feeling that the count had for his lady. Only in this way, we can enjoy its true taste for years to come.

What are the characteristics of your area-vine-appellation?

As mentioned above, thanks to our motto: “From the land of tradition to the spirit of innovation”, our bond with the territory is clear. The maison is located in Le Mesnil sur Oger and the grapes of the vines that we use come from the same place and from the neighbouring countries. Geographically, we are located in the south of Epernay, in the area called Côte des Blancs.

As it is well known, an essential characteristic that distinguishes the Champagne – Ardenne region from all of the others is the presence of chalk, which is created in a very long time due to the retreat of the sea and the decomposition of marine microfauna, in particular the Coccolites (skeletons of marine microorganisms that, settling, give rise to grains of calcite, characterized by the presence of fossils of marine molluscs from the Mesozoic called Belemnites). The gypsum or, as the French call it, “la craie” is fundamental for hydration, thanks to its hydroscopic capacity, which is due to its porosity that allows to always have water reserves, even during periods of drought. Containing water by capillarity, chalk forces the vine to make an important effort to absorb it and this leads to moderate water stress, facilitating the balance between sugars, different fruit acids and precursors of aromas. Another important function of gypsum is thermoregulation which allows it to store heat during the day and release it at night to ensure that the vines can continue to grow even at night.

Specifically, the Grand Cru grapes come from Le Mesnil sur Oger, where there is no specific conformation of the soil and clay is added to the chalk giving an elegant characteristic to the champagne, almost similar to wines coming from Borbogne. As a matter of fact, in Oger the vines are exposed to the East’s slopes, which enjoy higher solar radiation than those located downstream. The fact that a reduced surface is affected by radiation gives to the wine a stronger flavour. The Premier Cru red berried grapes come from Vertus, the only area of the Côte de Blanc that has 10% Pinot Noir vines. Some Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes also come from Montgueux, Le Breuil, Fontaine sur Ay and La Chapelle-Monthodon.

What is your favourite champagne?

Delarocque Blanc de Blancs is a really excellent product with a selection of vine with a predominance of Chardonnay Grand Cru from Le Mesnil sur Oger. In our opinion, also Delarocque Rosé is really interesting, since it has an assembly of 90% Chardonnay Grand Cru, originated from Le Mesnil Sur Oger and 10% of Premier Cru Pinot Noir from Vertus. We are sure that it will be considered excellent thanks to its structure and to the fruity notes.

Are there any new projects in the future?

In October 2020 we should have inaugurated “Delarocque Restaurant” in Milan, but due to the pandemic situation, we have had to review the timing and postpone the opening to 2021. Delarocque Restaurant was born as a unique concept where champagne is wisely combined with Italian cuisine, this will guarantee us the advantage of being the first champagne brand in the world to own a restaurant in Italy, which has the same brand of the champagne. The idea is to have a point of reference in the North of Italy to make our product known and try our champagne lines with classic and innovative culinary combinations, as well as organize tasting and master classes in the future. Moreover, in the first quarter of 2021 we will launch our vintage Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru 2008.