Nicolas Maillart Premier Cru Extra Brut Platine
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Winemaker Notes
Pinot Noir is dominant, with a complement of Chardonnay that brings freshness to the blend. The high percentage of reserve wines (30 to 40%) and ageing in barrels offers dependable consistency and classy style to this Extra Brut Platine. Only Grand and Premier Cru fruit is used in this wine, with origins in the Montagne de Reims, on vineyards owned and managed by the Maillart family. With a very gentle vinification process, all the natural richness of the grapes is kept. Aged around three years on the lees, this Brut Platine develops all its richness. A natural balance and freshness allows a low dosage (3 g/L).
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Wine Spectator
Spice and citrus zest notes accent the apricot, biscuit and pastry cream notes in this well-knit and lively Champagne. The creamy mousse carries the flavors to the graphite-laced finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
With its strongly Pinot Noir character, this dry Champagne is crisp and with enough fruit to give a full character that is fruity and textured at the same time. The wine is perfumed and structured with a light tannin and mineral touch.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the NV Extra-Brut Premier Cru was disgorged in February 2019 with three grams per liter dosage. Offering up aromas of crisp green orchard fruit, dried white flowers and citrus oil, it's medium to full-bodied, racy and incisive, with a perceptibly drier, tangier profile than Maillart's more enveloping Brut Platine.
It is now the turn of the ninth generation to take the reins, in the form of Nicolas, who returned in 2003 after completing his studies in engineering and oenology. He is thus perpetuating an almost three hundred year old tradition and maintains their house philosophy of bringing out the full potential of the terroir of Champagne in his wines all while maintaining strong biodiversity in the vineyards with minimal use of chemicals and nearly organic farming practices. His Marie Hanze, Brut Platine and Extra Brut Platine are three of the best values for Premier Cru/Grand Cru quality in Champagne today.
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.’