ESSENTIAL INFO
Price: £155 per ticket
Time: 11:15AM - 12:30PM
Host: Charles Curtis, Master of Wine
Co-Host: Natalie Earl – France Regional Editor, Decanter
THE SEDUCTION OF TIME: A SURVEY OF THE STELLAR 2012 CHAMPAGNE
Renowned expert Charles Curtis MW explores a range of esteemed wines from the celebrated 2012 vintage. As Curtis noted in his 2020 book Vintage Champagne 1899-2019, the 2012 vintage was a case of triumph over adversity, when producers overcame frost, hail and disease to produce some of the most acclaimed wines made in Champagne in recent years. In this masterclass, guests will savour a range of exceptional champagnes from throughout the Champagne region, from well-known grandes maisons to top artisanal growers, discovering how terroir and individual winemaking philosophies can create remarkable differences, even in a single vintage.
WINE SELECTION
- Laurent-Perrier, Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- Pierre Paillard, 'La Grande Recolte' Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- Delamotte, Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France, 2012
- Diebolt-Vallois, Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- Marc Hébrart, Noces de Craie Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- Drappier, La Grande Sendrée, Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- Marie Courtin, Concordance Blanc de Noirs, Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses Brut, Champagne, France 2012
- More extra cuvées to be added
HOST
Author, journalist, and consultant, Charles Curtis is a Master of Wine and the former Head of Wine for Christie’s auction house in both Asia and the Americas. He joined Christie’s in 2008 from Moet Hennessy USA, where he was Director of Wine and Spirit Education. In 2012 he set up his fine wine consultancy WineAlpha to provide advice on varied topics of interest to wine collectors and the trade.
His first book, The Original Grand Crus of Burgundy, was released in 2014, and the second, Vintage Champagne 1899 – 2019 in 2020. His forthcoming book, An Atlas of the Côte des Blancs (with cartographer Steve De Long), will appear next year. He is a board member of the Institute of Masters of Wine, North America and the Appraiser’s Association of America, and is the Burgundy correspondent for Decanter magazine and a frequent contributor to other publications.
He is the regional chair for Burgundy for the Decanter World Wine Awards (and for 2024 also the acting regional chair for Champagne), and an instructor for Fine Vintage, teaching WSET classes and leading visits to Champagne and Burgundy. He began his professional career as a chef, training at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and apprenticing there at the Crillon Hotel and at other restaurants. He hung up his toque at the age of thirty to pursue a career in wine.
CO-HOST
Natalie Earl is Decanter’s regional editor for France, overseeing and commissioning French content across both print and digital. After a degree in French and Italian, she initially worked in wine tourism in the south of France before returning to the UK in 2016 to join the tastings team at Decanter, making the shift to the editorial team in 2021.
She writes and tastes wines for the magazine and website, with a particular focus on the wines of Languedoc.