Part 4 (1/2)
[Illustration: THE CELLIERS AND CELLARS OF M GUSTAVE GIBERT
(_Near the Porte de Mars, Reims_) (p 78)]
[Illustration: THE PLACE ROYALE AT REIMS, SHOWING THE ENTRANCE TO THE CELLARS OF M GUSTAVE GIBERT (p 79)]
M Gustave Gibert possesses pressing-houses at Ay and Bouzy, and has e reserve stocks of wine in wood As all the wines which he sends into theof uniforh quality
His _Vin du Roi_ is notable for perfume, delicacy, perfect effervescence, and that fine flavour of the grape which characterises the grand wines of the Cha of Sweden and Norway, and the labels on the bottles bear his nah reputation in the North of Europe, and having of late years been introduced into England, is rapidly ain and again publicly recognised, no less than tenbeen successively awarded M Gibert at the Exhibitions of Toulouse in 1858, Bordeaux in 1859, Besancon in 1860, Metz and Nantes in 1861, London in 1862, Bayonne and Linz in 1864, and Oporto and Dublin in 1865 This long list of awards has led to the wines being placed ”_hors concours_,”
nevertheless M Gibert continues to submit them to competition whenever any Exhibition of iland, Geral, Calcutta, Java, Melbourne, and Hong-Kong, besides being largely in request for the ParisM Gibert's central establish, ill-paved Rue de Mars, past the premises of Messrs Jules Mumm and Co, an offshoot from the once famous firm of P A Mumm and Co, to the Place de l'Hotel de Ville, in one corner of which stands aback to the time of Louis Quatorze Here are the offices of Ruinart pere et fils, who claine The head of the firm, the Vicomte de Brimont, is a collateral descendant of the Doh to those of the illustrious Donon in the abbey church of Hautvillers Froh the narrow Rue du Ta the Middle Ages the locality where the nobility of Reims principally had their abodes Half-way up this street, in the direction of the Place des Marches, stands the fa architectural relics of which the capital of the Chane can boast It evidently dates from the early part of the fourteenth century, but by whohts Tene, while others suppose it to have been the residence of the faed into three separate branches, the first furnishi+ng Dukes of Cleves and Julich to Germany and Dukes of Nevers and Counts of Eu to France, while the second became Dukes of Bouillon and Princes of Sedan, titles which passed to the Turennes when Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vico heiress of the house The third branch comprised the Barons of Lumain, allied to the Hohenzollerns Their e, and flung his body into the Meuse, and subsequently became celebrated as the Wild Boar of the Ardennes, of whom all readers of _Quentin Durward_ will retain a lively recollection
To return, however, to the House of the Musicians A probable conjecture ascribes the origin of the quaint mediaeval structure to the Brotherhood of Minstrels of Reims, who in the thirteenth century enjoyed a considerable reputation, not hout the North of France The house takes its present naer than life-size, occupying the Gothic niches between the first-floor s, and resting upon brackets ornaht that the partially-da a drum and a species of clarionet The next one evidently has the reure is supposed merely to have held a hawk upon his wrist; whilst the fourth seeks to extract harpipe; and the fifth, with crossed legs, struround floor of the quaint old tenement is to-day an oil and colour shop, the front of which is covered with chequers in all the tints of the rainbow
[Illustration]
Leading froe, thus nain which formerly decorated a corner niche; and beyond is the Rue St Hilaire, where Messrs Barnett et fils, trading under the designation of Perinet et fils, and the only English house engaged in the ne, have an establishment which is certainly as perfect as any to be found in Reie store-rooe casks and the various utensils cone establishment are kept, and a capacious cellier, upwards of 150 feet in length, with its roof resting on huge ti blended and bottled, and in the huge tun, holding nearly 3,000 gallons, standing at the further end, the firm make their _cuvee_, while adjacent is a room where stocks of corks and labels, metal foil, and the like are kept
There are three stories of cellars--an exceedingly rare thing anywhere in the Chane--all constructed in solidparallel with each other and connected by reat depth to which these cellars descend they are perfectly dry; the ventilation, too, is excellent, and their different tee of charade (43 Fahrenheit), or one degree Centigrade below the cellar irees below the uppere of this is that when the wine develops an excess of effervescence any undue proportion of breakages can be checked by re the bottles to a lower cellar and consequently into a lower temperature
[Illustration: THE CELLIER AND CELLARS OF PeRINET ET FILS AT REIMS (p 82)]
The first cellars we enter are closely stacked ine in bottle, which is gradually clearing itself by the for cellar on the sa are going on In the cellars immediately beneath bottles of wine repose in solid stacks ready for the _degorgeur_, while others rest in racks in order that they
In the lowest cellars reserved wine in cask is stored, as it best retains its natural freshness and purity in a very cool place All air is carefully excluded froe is i on the casks are exaht, when any deficiency is at once replenished At Messrs
Perinet et fils', as at all the first-class establish the produce of some of the best vineyards, and has every possible attention paid to it during its progressive stages of developnes of different years were here shown to us, all of theht, and delicate, and with that fine flavour and full perfu several curiosities submitted to us was a still Verzenay of the year 1857, one of the ht in body, rich in colour, of a singularly novel and refined flavour, and with a nificent yet indefinable bouquet, the as in every respect perfect Not only was the year of the vintage a grand one, but the wine reatest possible care and frorowth to have retained its flavour in such perfection, and preserved its brilliant ruby colour for such a length of time
Frone, ere prepared to find that at sos in London, the particulars of which have been made public, their Extra Sec took the first place at each of the three severe competitions to which it was subjected
M Duchatel-Ohaus's central establishes, one of thefro everysecured by iron gratings, and every door thickly studded with huge nails These prison-like facades succeed each other in gloo either side of the way, the portion of M Duchatel-Ohaus's residence which faces the street being no exception to the general rule Once within its court, however, and quite a different scene presents itself Before us is a pleasant little flower-garden with a s on to it, the s ornaraceful sculptured heads, while at one corner rises a toith a sun-dial displayed on its front Here and in an adjoining house the canons of the Cathedral were accustoed to the Church
[Illustration]
Fro and bottling of the wine takes place, and in the neighbouring packing-roo, and branding a number of cases about to be despatched by rail From the cellier we pass to the cellars situated ih they are, do not suffice for M Duchatel's stock, portions of which are stored in some ancient vaults near the market-place, and in the Rue de Vesle behind the church of St Jacques This church, originally built at the close of the twelfth century, is hemmed in on all sides by old houses, above which rises its tapering steeple surel A life-size statue of the patron saint decorates the Gothic gateway leading to the church, froe of soe as we pass by
The Cour St Jacques, where M Duchatel's cellars are situated, h the church, the interior of which presents a curious jumble of architectural styles from early Gothic to late Renaissance One noteworthy object of art which it contains is a life-size crucifix carved by Pierre Jacques, a Re Henri, and from an anatomical point of view a perfect _chef-d'uvre_ The cellars we have come to inspect are two stories deep, and comprise numerous ancient cavernous compartments, such as are found in all the older quarters of Reims, and usually in the vicinity of soested that they were either crypts for sacred retireeons for the punishment of recreant brethren, or tombs for the dead; but it is far more probable that in the majority of instances they served then as now sies of the Marne, for we all know the monks of old were tipplers of no ordinary capacity, who usually contrived to secure the best that the district provided These vaults of M Duchatel's, in which a considerable stock of the fine wine of 1874 is stored, are froed to the cures of St Jacques They are of considerable extent, are well ventilated, and are walled and roofed with stone M Duchatel's re stock reposes in some new cellars--certain transfor broad lofty galleries and vast circular chahted from above
At M Duchatel-Ohaus's we tasted a variety of fine sa a beautiful wine of 1868 and an alood one of 1870, with so prepared for shi+pment
[Illustration]
VIII--THE REIMS ESTABLISHMENTS (_continued_)
M Ernest Irroy's Cellars, Vineyards, and Vendangeoirs-- Recognition by the Reiricultural association of his Plantations of Vines-- His Wines and their Popularity at the best London Clubs-- Messrs
Binet fils and Co's Establishment-- Wines Sold by the Firm to shi+ppers-- Their Cellars-- Sae 1857, and their Creae 1865-- The Offices and Cellars of Messrs Charles Farre and Co-- Testing the Wine before Bottling-- A Promenade between Bottles in Piles and Racks-- Repute in which these Wines are held in England and on the Continent-- The New Establishment of Fisse, Thirion, and Co in the Place de Betheny-- Its Construction exclusively in Stone, Brick, and Iron-- The Vast Celliers of Two Stories-- Bottling the Wine by the Aid of Machinery-- The Cool and Lofty Cellars-- Ingenious Method of Securing the Corks, rendering the Uncorking exceedingly sietowns like Reied in the woollen manufacture in France--can boast of such fine promenades and such handsone As the ancient fortifications of the city were froenerally planted with trees, so that the older quarters of Reihfares, separating the city, as it were, fro suburbs In or close to the broad Boulevard du Temple, which takes its name from its proximity to the site of the ancient ConeM Louis Roederer, M Ernest Irroy, and M Charles Heidsieck, have their establish Rue Coquebert, are the large and handso and Co