{"id":1439,"date":"2011-07-31T09:04:54","date_gmt":"2011-07-31T14:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/?p=1439"},"modified":"2012-05-01T10:13:44","modified_gmt":"2012-05-01T15:13:44","slug":"champagne-charlie-burger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/?p=1439","title":{"rendered":"Champagne Charlie Burger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlie Burger has crossed the line. I don\u2019t know if you saw a story I wrote in the Globe and Mail last weekend, breaking Charlie Burger\u2019s cover. With his blessing, I revealed his true identity \u2013 Franco Stalteri, the sophisticated young bon viveur whose day job is Director of Experiential Marketing for a company called Your Brand IMC. He puts together high-end events for banks or luxury motor car companies or other prestigious clients such as Dom Perignon Champagne.<\/p>\n

Charlie\u2019s Burgers was his dazzling notion a couple of years ago \u2013 guerilla dinners that allow deeply talented chefs to do their own thing for 50 or so lucky souls in a mysterious venue. Guests have to find their way to the place by following a trail. It\u2019s all great fun, slightly tongue-in-cheek but elegantly contrived and has a serious gastronomical pay-off of great food and wine. But now, as I say, Charlie has crossed the line. The consummate host has become the artisanal entrepreneur. Charlie Burger has his own Champagne.<\/p>\n

Let me start by saying there isn\u2019t very much of it. Champagne Charlie Burger is a true \u201cgrower\u2019s Champagne,\u201d estate-produced by a small but much revered house that has been in the business since 1732. The marque in question, Henry de Vaugency, can be found just outside Oger. Their Chardonnay vineyard is right next door to Krug\u2019s prestigious Clos de Mesnil \u2013 and I\u2019d have to say it shares the quality as well as the classified Grand Cru location, which makes Champagne Charlie Burger a pure Oger Grand Cru Class\u00e9 Blanc de Blancs Champagne. Very special stuff. Very suave and very delicious.<\/p>\n

So, how did Franco Stalteri get his hands (and his moniker) on this ethereal nectar? Through a mutual friend \u2013 the sommelier of the world-famous Tour d\u2019Argent restaurant in Paris who persuaded Henry de Vaugency that Charlie Burger was a worthy customer. Stalteri liked the idea of presenting his own Champers at CB events \u2013 and anyone who falls in love with the bubbly can buy a case, I am told, provided they go through the proper channels. I can see why they would. This is a blend of wines from 2000, 2001 and 2002, cellar-aged for five years. It has a fresh golden colour \u2013 the beauty of youth \u2013 and a subtle fresh aroma of yellow fruit with a hint of lemon peel. Not really \u201ccitrus\u201d as in lemon juice or lemon marmalade \u2013 more the very precise but delicate smell you experience when you sniff a ripe but uncut lemon. The mousse is very fine to the eye and sparkling on the tongue. That first sip reveals the ethereal body you would expect from a Blanc de Blancs \u2013 liquid dancing \u2013 so refreshing \u2013 a discreet flavour of yellow plums, a suggestion of yeasty biscuit. It\u2019s all so vibrant and beautiful and yet there is a maturity there that stops it being remotely tart or sharp. Great balance and then\u2026 a long, long finish \u2013 always the sign of very good wine, Champagne included.<\/p>\n

Stalteri presented the first bottle of CB Champagne to the sommelier at the Tour d\u2019Argent. He opened the second with his fianc\u00e9e. I\u2019m so honoured that I received bouteille #3, so inscribed and therefore to be kept and treasured even now that it is empty. Regrettably, I shall miss the Charlie\u2019s Burgers event on August 7th<\/sup> when the Champagne will be the evening\u2019s debutante, turning everyone\u2019s head, breaking everyone\u2019s heart. If you\u2019re going to be there, I\u2019d love to hear what you think of the Champagne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charlie Burger has crossed the line. I don\u2019t know if you saw a story I wrote in the Globe and Mail last weekend, breaking Charlie Burger\u2019s cover. With his blessing, I revealed his true identity \u2013 Franco Stalteri, the sophisticated young bon viveur whose day job is Director of Experiential Marketing for a company called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98,99],"tags":[471,472],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1439"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1984,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439\/revisions\/1984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}