Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or Brut 1997
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Winemaker Notes
"Mixed aromas of toasted grains, caramel and beer. Sweet and doughy with vanilla, malt and tart citrus. Lengthy finish with a mix of brioche, citrus and baked apple."
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Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A blast of fresh cherry and violet aromas, this is like a Pinot Noir with bubbles. Clove and cinnamon are added to the mix, all presented in a full-bodied, open-textured manner. Fun to drink. Drink now through 2008. 450 cases imported.
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Wine Enthusiast
The prestige cuvee from Nicolas Feuillatte is a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, reveling in its richness, and toast character, ripe flavors with almonds and pears together with soft acidity. This is generous, soft and ready to drink.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Reaching its best at this point, the Palmes D'Or Brut has acquired an aged patina of baked cookies and toasted brioche which give it great richness but also underscore the slight narrowness of its vestigial fruit. Its bubbles are pinpointy small and have the volume of a younger wine, but the wine's flavor profile reflects the developing maturity of the nose. Yeasty complexities further enhance the wine, and it should hold well for several years yet.
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40 years of unique history, starting with a beautiful story, a story of men. That of Henri MacQuart, pioneer founder of the Centre Vinicole de la Champagne (The Champagne Wine Centre). That of Nicolas Feuillatte, a daring businessman. That of volunteer winegrowers who, together, dare and succeed in a gamble to create a brand of excellence, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte.
Anchored in the heart of the prestigious Côte de Blancs, our champagnes draw their strength and full flavors from a remarkable array of crus, enhanced by the subtle art of blending. Nicolas Feuillatte champagnes reflect the harmony, finesse and freshness of this unique region. An extensive variety of perfectly ripe grapes make up the champagnes in our range, vinified individually by cru or by area and by grape variety, together with a meticulous selection of Grand Crus and Premiers Crus.
Today Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte is the #1 Champagne in France and #3 in the world. There are over 250 employees working for Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, based in Chouilly in the heart of the vineyard. On a daily basis, they work hand in hand with more than 5,000 member winegrowers, in the elaboration, distribution and marketing of champagne wine.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’