Dinner with Frédéric Savart Brings Champagne Savart to Chicago

Three Savart magnums, named 2022 premier cru parcels, and two 2020 grand cru magnums give this Chicago dinner its pull before the first cork is drawn. On Friday, October 23, 2026, Dinner with Frédéric Savart brings that Écueil to Le Mesnil-sur-Oger arc to River North at RPM Steak during La Fête du Champagne Chicago. See the official event listing for tickets and the current wine list.

The dinner begins at 6:30pm CT at RPM Steak, 66 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654, with tickets listed at $850 plus tax. The real distinction sits in the program: La Fête presents the evening as Exploring the Petite Montagne de Reims, hosted by Frédéric Savart.

For a collector, that framing is the point. This is a single-producer dinner built around Champagne Savart, with Écueil and Villers-aux-Nœuds at the center before the list moves outward to Verzenay and Le Mesnil sur Oger. Exact wines and vintages are subject to change, so read the announced list as the current program rather than a promise of the final table sequence.

The fixed details for October 23 in Chicago

La Fête du Champagne’s 2026 Chicago program runs October 22 to 24, and the Savart dinner takes the Friday evening slot. If you are building a Champagne weekend in Chicago rather than Reims, the timing is tidy: one producer, one dinner, one downtown room, and enough specificity in the wine list to justify a close look.

The event facts are clean. City: Chicago. Date: Friday, October 23, 2026. Time: 6:30pm CT. Venue: RPM Steak, 66 W Kinzie St. Published price: $850 plus tax. Host and producer: Frédéric Savart. Official program theme: Exploring the Petite Montagne de Reims.

The dinner takes place at RPM Steak, a polished Chicago steakhouse setting. That matters, though the wines remain the reason to book. Treat the evening as a producer-led Champagne dinner, then let the final pairings unfold at the table.

Frédéric Savart, Écueil, and the family through-line

The family history is succinct. René Savart, Frédéric’s grandfather, purchased his first vines in Écueil in 1947. Frédéric later returned to the family domaine after an early football path that included a youth contract with Stade de Reims, then worked alongside his father Daniel. Since 2005, Frédéric has led the estate.

That background explains why Écueil carries such weight on the label. It is the estate’s historical anchor in the Petite Montagne de Reims. The dinner’s opening focus on Écueil and Villers-aux-Nœuds should give you a close view of how Savart frames the area’s varied soils through cuvées that stay village-specific rather than anonymous.

The official description calls Savart a grower-producer and emphasizes his independent profile. In the glass, the interest lies in how one hand moves across several origins: family parcels first, then more recent work outside the historical holdings. Keep that distinction in mind before you arrive. Producer history sets the context; the event-specific facts are the named wines, formats, villages, and vintages on the La Fête page.

Reading the announced wine list before the first glass

The published list opens with a still white Burgundy reference: Domaine William Fèvre, Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2023. Its place in the lineup gives you a cool-climate Chardonnay marker before, or alongside, the Champagne Savart sequence.

Three non-vintage Savart magnums then establish the house register: Champagne Savart, L’Ouverture NV en magnum; Champagne Savart, L’Accomplie NV en magnum; and Champagne Savart, Ecueil Trépail NV en magnum. Magnum format is doing real work here. It changes the scale at the table and lets the non-vintage cuvées introduce Savart’s grammar before the list narrows into named sites.

The 2022 premier cru sequence deserves careful attention: Champagne Savart, Ecueil 1er Cru “Le Mont des Chrétiens” 2022; Champagne Savart, Ecueil 1er Cru “Les Noues” 2022; and Champagne Savart, Villers-aux-Nœuds 1er Cru “Le Mont Benoît” 2022. Same producer, same vintage year, nearby premier cru origins. That is the sort of comparison that rewards attention to texture, acidity, fruit register, and finish rather than quick scoring.

The middle of the list brings the grand cru contrast many collectors will notice first. La Fête lists Champagne Savart, Verzenay Grand Cru “Les Voiettes” 2020 en magnum and Champagne Savart, Le Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru “Haute Couture” 2020 en magnum. The official description identifies the former as Grand Cru Pinot Noir from the lieu-dit “Les Voiettes” in Verzenay and the latter as Grand Cru Chardonnay from Le Mesnil sur Oger.

The announced closing pair is rosé: Champagne Savart, Bulle de Rose NV and Champagne Savart, Expression Rosé 2019. La Fête connects this finale to Savart’s work with rosé d’assemblage. If the final order follows the published arc, the rosés take the last word after grand cru magnums, a more revealing position than aperitif service.

Why the terroir arc matters

The dinner’s geography begins tightly, then widens with purpose. Écueil and Villers-aux-Nœuds sit within the Petite Montagne de Reims frame advertised by La Fête. Verzenay and Le Mesnil sur Oger move the conversation into two grand cru reference points with different grape identities: Pinot Noir in Verzenay, Chardonnay in Le Mesnil.

That progression gives you a disciplined way to taste. Start by separating the non-vintage magnums from the site-specific 2022 premier crus. Then compare the two Écueil bottlings, “Le Mont des Chrétiens” and “Les Noues,” before moving to Villers-aux-Nœuds “Le Mont Benoît.” When the 2020 grand cru magnums arrive, shift your attention from close-range parcel comparison to broader village contrast.

You may arrive with fixed expectations about Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and Chardonnay from Le Mesnil sur Oger. Use them lightly. Particularly useful notes at a dinner like this are often questions: where does the wine carry its structure, how does the mousse shape the finish, what changes in magnum, and how does Savart describe the decision to show these particular bottlings together?

If the final wines differ from the published list, listen closely. A substitution can reveal as much as a scheduled pour, especially when the producer explains vintage, disgorgement, format, or availability. The caveat that exact wines and vintages are subject to change should make you more attentive.

Booking verdict for the Champagne-focused traveler

At $850 plus tax, this is a serious commitment within a Chicago weekend. The booking case rests on three concrete elements: Frédéric Savart is the named host, RPM Steak provides a polished downtown dinner setting, and the announced list includes multiple magnums, three 2022 premier cru bottlings, two 2020 grand cru magnums, and two rosés. For a Savart collector, those specifics carry the argument.

Book it if your interest is producer depth, especially the relationship between Écueil, Villers-aux-Nœuds, Verzenay, and Le Mesnil sur Oger through one domaine’s lens. The chance to hear Savart discuss those wines in person is part of the value, and the bottle list has enough weight on its own to distinguish the dinner within a Champagne weekend.

Before purchasing travel or making non-refundable plans, confirm ticket status, timing, and the final published list directly with La Fête du Champagne. The official page remains the authority for date, time, venue, price, and wines. Arrive with a clear palate, a pen, and a few precise questions. Strong producer dinners reward that kind of quiet preparation.