Winemaker Notes
Francis Orban (as a grower Champagne producer, or récoltant-manipulant) tends some 18 acres of south-facing vines in and around the villages of Leuvrigny and Sainte-Gemme. This racy and fruity, pure Pinot Meunier Champagne showcases this noble grape in all its glory! A generous addition of reserve wine gives the wine wonderful depth and character. Aged for three years, with just 3 grams/L dosage.
The label for Champagne Francis Orban Extra Brut is in the process of changing. You may receive either of these two labels featured above. Specific labels cannot be requested.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This is pinot meunier grown in sandy clay soils, and if you need an excuse to give this variety a shot, Mariko Kobayashi of NYC’s Chambers Street Wines described the appeal of this wine— and the appeal of the best contemporary meunier—as “a clean, refreshing purity. The wine has so much presence without being in your face.” It’s an easy pleasure to access, with wild-strawberry freshness and cool, tart yellow-apple acidity adding to the cleansing feel of the bubbles. Gentle and lively.
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James Suckling
This delights with fruity and spicy aromas, from berries and oranges to paprika and cinnamon. Soft bubbles. Tasty Champagne. 100% meunier. 3 g/L dosage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on the 2018 vintage and disgorged in April 2021, the latest release of Orban's NV Extra-Brut is showing nicely, bursting with aromas of pear, white currants, fresh mint and yellow plums. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and incisive, it's a pillowy, elegant wine, with fine concentration and a seamless, charming profile that reflects the inherent generosity of the dominant year. It's the finest rendition of this Pinot Meunier bottling that I've tasted to date.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Half the NV Champagne Extra Brut comes from the base vintage 2019 and the rest is reserve, with 3 grams per liter dosage. It is floral and savory, with red berries, dried roses, and wet stone. Medium-bodied, with a delicate mousse, this is more of a still wine drinker’s Champagne. It’s balanced and has an elegant arch of fruit to its mineral texture. It’s a solid entry to the range.
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.’