Winemaker Notes
In the 1960s, when he was not at the Elysée Palace or on official business elsewhere, General de Gaulle would reside at his property, the Boiserie in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, situated afew miles from Urville. There he discovered Champagne Drappier and chose a cuvée rich in Pinot Noir (80%) which was renamed in homage to him.
Very fine nose of citrus fruits, apple, almond or perhaps nutmeg. When it reaches the palate the Charles de Gaulle Cuvée exhibits a remarkable complexity, with an airy mousse and lightly candied notes.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The NV Champagne Charles De Gaulle Brut is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, offering notes of orange sherbet and bread dough on the palate. With light, toasted almonds and an underlying intensity of mineral texture and flavor, it does exhibit neutral (oak?) notes of white peach, and the fluffy, pillowy mousse is elegant, so supple and creamy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The latest release of the NV Brut Charles de Gaulle was disgorged in December 2018 with seven and a half grams per liter dosage, and the wine is showing very well, bursting from the glass with a generous bouquet of golden orchard fruits, warm biscuits, honeycomb and peach. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and enveloping, with a fleshy core of fruit and nicely integrated dosage that lends the wine an old-fashioned, gourmand profile that's appropriate enough given its namesake. I'd expect this to pick up considerable toasty complexity with additional aging on cork. Rating: 92+
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James Suckling
Lovely fresh fruit like red apples and raspberries on the nose, alongside ginger cookies. It’s crisp, fresh and dry with bright acidity and light salty undertones. 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay.
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Wine Spectator
A fresh and expressive Champagne, featuring lively green apple, cherry, tea rose and toast notes. Well-balanced, with hints of chalk and spice lingering on the finish.
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.’