The Champagne Warrior's view on Le Printemps des Champagne
Brad Baker's shares why he has been travelling to Champagne for these events since 2009 in a LIVE this afternoon
Brad Baker, AKA the Champagne Warrior, has been sharing his champagne knowledge and love in a newsletter since 2009. He was one of the original attendants of the 2009 Terres et Vins de Champagne event, and has travelled to the region every year the events have taken place. He has witnessed the explosion of tastings and attendants over the years and is therefore THE perfect person to share his experience on the ever growing Printemps de Champagne events!
Brad lives in the Detroit area, works as an automotive engineer when he is not sipping champagne, and has a wealth of knowledge on Champagne wines, its winemakers and trends.
I first met him at the Terres et Vins off event in 2012, and we have grown closer over the years. We generally try to catch up when Brad travels to Champagne, which is about twice a year. It’s always fun to exchange, seeing we often hold very different views on things, meaning discussions are often very enriching!
We are also proud members of Roederer’s Cristal Rosé Picking Club (CRPC), which has been going for about a decade by now ()even if the name is not as old) Besides the lavish dinner where we are always privy to taste an amazing line-up of Cristal, Cristal Rosé and other unicorn Roederer cuvées, the highlight of the evening is undoubtably the in-depth vins clairs tasting. Over the years, these tastings have allowed all of us to form a clear view of the different Roederer terroirs through the vintages. I hope we can touch own these amazing vins clairs tastings, seeing vins clair - as an expression of terroir - is what kicked off the Printemps de Champagne in the first place. So besides the Printemps, the role of vins clair to understand the terroir and the vintage, Brad will also point out how this growing event has changed the access (and maybe even the role) of cellar masters. I am sure the discussion will be riveting and I hope you can join our LIVE at 5pm Paris time/11 AM Eastern time to discover yet a different Champagne angle!