Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
More like a light red with fine bubbles in the mouth. It’s medium- to full-bodied with plenty of dried strawberries, mineral, nutmeg and spices with ginseng. Orange peel.
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Wine Spectator
A blend of the five villages where the Roger Pouillon house has vines, the NV Champagne Grande Vallée Extra Brut is 65% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier, with half from 2020, 15% from 2019, and the rest reserve wine, with 2 grams per liter dosage. Pouring a rich golden straw hue, the wine is fresh with aromas of savory wet stone, fresh peach, orange peel, and brothy salinity. Full-bodied, it offers a powerful structure, with ripe fruit though the palate, a rich, chalky texture, a fine mousse, and a long, balanced finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based primarily on the 2022 vintage and incorporating 10% reserve wines from 2021 along with 20% from the perpetual reserve, Pouillon’s latest NV Grande Vallée is sourced from five communes within the Vallée de la Marne—Avenay-Val-d'Or, Épernay, Festigny, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Mutigny. This Pinot Noir-dominant blend is complemented by 20% Pinot Meunier and 15% Chardonnay. Disgorged in October 2024 with a dosage of two grams per liter, it unfurls in the glass with aromas of orange zest, ripe pear, hazelnut and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, it is both fleshy and precise, with ripe but vibrant acidity, a pillowy mousse and a long, sapid 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.’