Fleury Pere et Fils Cepages Blancs 2004
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Wine Spectator
Flavors of quince paste, green plum, biscuit and ground spice mix in this lively and accessible version, supported by a minerally undertow and vervy acidity. Well-balanced and finely textured, with a spiced finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fleury's 2004 Brut Cepages Blancs is an intriguing wine laced with exotic passion fruit, citrus, minerals and flowers, all of which come together in a bracing, focused style. This shows gorgeous complexity, textural finesse and a brilliant, crystalline finish. The Cepages Blancs can be enjoyed today, although it requires quite a bit of air for its inner perfume to emerge. Alternatively, it can be cellared for another decade or so. This beautiful, harmonious Champagne from Fleury is a gem.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine & Spirits
Spicy scents of chamomile introduce this wine, its white flower scents meeting red fruit in the finish. The structure is firm, almost tannic in its savor, the saturated flavors lengthening with air. Showing no traces of oxidation, this is set to age further, or to pair with braised rabbit.
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.’