Winemaker Notes
Bright, intense yellow flecked with green. Soft, even effervescence with long-lingering threads of bubbles. Enticing bouquet of pollen, delicately scented spring flowers, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, lemon tree and more concentrated, candied lemon. The nose evolves towards toasty notes, sugared almonds, wheat and cereals, characteristic of the finest Avize Chardonnays. The round and fruity attack gives way to a mineral freshness that is chalky yet also powdery and velvety. There is a hint of cold, humid chalk and a slightly drying sensation which enhances the delicate and well-integrated minerality.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very delicate style,overall, with softness and elegance. Yellow-citrus and yuzu fruit character. Very chalky palate with silky texture and a super pure fruit core. The full, vinous potential of the chardonnay here is stunning. Really ripe in a cool year means concentration. Very silky with paraffin-like texture.
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Wine Enthusiast
Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs forms the backbone of this still-young vintage. Crisp apple and ripe lemon flavors go together with a taut, nervy texture that has a steely edge.
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Wine & Spirits
A vibrant young Blanc de Blancs with rich undercurrents of almond butter and pear nectar, this wine has a structure that holds tight around crisp apple and lemon flavors, even as the generous texture keeps pushing them to open.
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Wine Spectator
Lemon curd and star fruit flavors provide a citrusy overtone to notes of apricot, biscuit and thyme in this well-knit, racy Champagne, which offers a lively bead and a subtle streak of salinity. Well-balanced and mouthwatering.
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.’