Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Stunning aromas of pie crust, lightly cooked apples and Asian pears. Full-bodied with lots of lovely rich fruit, spices and nuts. The finish is so intense, showing toasted bread and gorgeous salted butter, that it goes on for minutes. Seven years on the lees. Dosage 3 g/L.
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Vinous
The NV (2013) Extra Brut VP (Viellissement Prolongé) is fabulous. Deep and exquisitely layered in the glass, the 2013-base release marries the pedigree of this late-ripening base year with reserve wines from 2012 and 2011, resulting in a stark, almost austere expression of Pinots from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay that have been softened gently by eight years on the lees prior to disgorgement.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The NV Champagne Grand Cru VP Viellisement Prolongent Extra Brut (which I believe is based on the 2014 vintage, with 2012 and 2013 reserve wine) is expressive and elegant with ripe pineapple, lemon custard, and white flowers. The mousse is elegant, and it’s long on the palate, with another level of refinement and precision. There’s more focus here, with great length and a wonderful and balanced savory edge. At this stage, it still feels like it would benefit from more time in bottle. Drink 2024-2042. This spent 7 years on the lees before disgorgement.
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Decanter
This is the same as the Grand Cru bottling but with extended lees ageing and, in this case, three years post-disgorgement. The lees ageing brings a remarkable aromatic range and substance on the palate – almost mascarpone with peach tart, macadamia nuts and dried berries, certainly showing some evolution on cork now with a thread of toasted nut and dried spice on the close. Hugely characterful and impressive for a wine of this age based on the complicated 2011 vintage. 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, with 66% reserves from 2010 and 2009, disgorged in 2019.
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Wine Spectator
A round and well-balanced Champagne, with a fresh, lightly juicy frame of acidity and a creamy bead supporting flavors of white cherry, Marcona almond and lemon zest. A tangy hint of saline shows on the finish. Disgorged July 2018. Drink now through 2021.
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.’