Winemaker Notes
Always a complex assemblage: 35% 2003, and 65% of these vintages in roughly equal proportions: ‘02, ‘01, ‘00, ‘99 and ‘96! Disgorged 1/06 and bottled with 7g.l. RS; violet and hyacinth aromas make you think of Riesling (as these wines often do), but the palate is all apples and Rainier cherries with a chalk-powder sprinkle; wonderfully silky and generous, refined and accurate. A virtual Blanc de Blancs; 90% Chardonnay to 10% Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in May 2019 with 4.5 grams per liter dosage, the NV Extra-Brut Cuvée M Le Caractère is based on the 2013 vintage and drawn from a solera started in 2002. Offering up delicate aromas of white flowers, walnuts, crisp green apple, fenugreek and nougat, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and incisive, with a delicate mousse and a sapid finish.
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Wine Spectator
Well-cut, refreshing and minerally, with depth to the expressive mix of raspberry, blood orange sorbet, slivered almond and pickled ginger flavors riding the vivacious, lacy mousse. Offers a lightly spiced finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from 100% Chardonnay, the NV Champagne Extra Brut is 80% from the 2018 vintage and the remainder from the 2017, 30% of which was raised in oak barrels. It is a pretty and fresh approach, with key lime, almond croissant, and ripe pear fruit. This translates well to the palate, though it finishes with more pithy citrus and a bit of granular feel that seems to temper its otherwise refreshing appeal. Best after 2023.
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Vinous
The NV Extra Brut is focused, chiseled and delineated from start to finish. Orchard fruit, citrus and floral notes pulse with energy in this refreshing, vibrant entry-level offering from Margaine. Dosage is 3-5 grams per liter. Disgorged: October, 2019.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
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.’