Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The NV Champagne Grand Cru Reserve Perpetuelle, which includes wines going back to 2006, comes entirely from the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and was vinified and aged in oak barrels. A bright yellow/straw color in the glass, the nose is beautifully layered and compelling, with refined, decadent aromas of fresh baked brioche, poached apples, a hint of praline, and lemon bars. Medium-framed yet rounded, it fills the palate with fantastic balance and a harmonious feel. Its refined mousse frames the wine beautifully, it has a lovely silky texture throughout, and the focus through the finish is remarkable. It’s a superb wine, and I love it. The winemaker has really found his stride over the past several years, so if you’ve been sleeping on these wines, now’s the time to check back in. It’s a lot of wine for less than $100. Bravo. Drink 2024-2044. It was disgorged in December of 2022 and has zero grams per liter of dosage.
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James Suckling
Lemon, almond, sourdough, sea-salt and grapefruit character here, with fantastic freshness and just a hint of nutty complexity. It's medium-bodied with very fine bubbles and a lively finish. 100% chardonnay from Le Mesnil sur Oger. A blend of all the vintages from 2006 to 2019. Disgorged May 2022. 0g/L dosage. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Hailing entirely from the village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut Réserve Perpétuelle incorporates 15 vintages between 2020 and 2006, matured in 50-hectoliter foudres. Disgorged in May 2022 without dosage, it is a wine that is more demonstrative than Les Grands Blancs, opening in the glass with a bouquet of considerable complexity, revealing notes of peach, white flowers, hazelnut and brioche. On the palate, it’s racy-fresh and harmonious, with a pillowy mousse and concluding with a long, chalky finish. This cuvée continues to go from strength to strength and represents a superb value.
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.’