Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The latest vintage release from this producer is dominated by Pinot Noir, rich and with considerable aging potential. For now, it is mineral, zesty and tightly textured, a concentrated wine offering white and citrus fruits and a lingering aftertaste of fruit and acidity. Drink from 2021.
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James Suckling
Attractively refined and gently minerally aromas make for an attractive, fresh impression on the nose, along with lemon, apricot and light cherry fruits. The palate has good depth of flavor in the citrus and white peach spectrum. Handy length and freshness.
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Wine Spectator
A hint of salinity underscores the fresh and appealing range of crushed white cherry, pastry and candied pink grapefruit zest flavors in this finely knit, creamy Champagne. Bright and elegant. Drink now through 2027.
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Jasper Morris
With no Blanc de Blancs released in this vintage; I expected more from Deutz’ entry level vintage Brut. These entry level vintage releases are always eminently drinkable, with dosage-infused richness that makes them slip down rather easily.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deutz's 2012 Millésimé Brut (LA116D25717) has a white/copper-golden color and opens with a terribly clear, fresh, concentrated and aromatic bouquet of ripe white fruits, nuts and a classic chalkiness in the background. The palate is tight, pure, dry, fresh, straight and structured but elegant, with a long, mineral finish. Very stimulating yet tight, this is a really excellent 2012 and still terribly fresh! Tasted in June 2018.
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.’