Winemaker Notes
The breadth and depth of this wine are a testament to the high proportion and exceptional quality of the reserve wines that have gone into the blend. Bright, clear, pale gold tints woven with very fine bubbles. The freshness of the Chardonnay, aromas of white flesh fruit such as pears and nectarines, ethereal touches of peony expressed by the Pinot Noir. On the second nose: a spicier range, complexity with aromas of dried apricots and almonds. Round and generous on the palate, with a lovely verticality. Crisp nectarine, notes of honey, saffron and pepper, nicely enhanced by fine bitters on the finish.
Ideal as an aperitif or enjoyed throughout a meal with dishes such as gently fried sea scallops, shellfish or rockfish. You can also pair it with a risotto, fine white meat or a farmhouse Brie de Meaux cheese.
Blend: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Brioche, honey, lemons and apple crumble on the nose. It's creamy, fresh and balanced, with a light salty-sweet undertone and soft bubbles. 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir, based on 2020, with 40% reserve wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Concordia, a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a dosage of six grams per liter, reveals a fruity, fresh bouquet with aromas of red berries, peony, spring flowers and orchard fruits. Moderately weighted and tense, it’s taut and incisive with elegant autolytic notes of honey and pastry.
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Decanter
Shortbread and dried lemon rind shyly play off each other on the nose. Biscuity, rounded richness with pleasant smokiness on the palate with lasting, slightly umami finish.
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Wine Spectator
A well-cut Champagne, with a fine bead, this offers a mouthwatering range of nectarine, salted almond, honeysuckle and biscuit flavors. Elegant, featuring a lightly spiced finish. Drink now through 2022. 29,166 cases made, 416 cases imported.
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.’