Winemaker Notes
Made only from Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes which is harvested by hand, Brut Nature is a champagne with no dosage. In harmony with its citrus notes, finesse, fruity and balanced palate, it is bursting with intensity and freshness.
It will bring out the richness and diversity of seafood at the start of any meal.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The Fourny brothers farm close to four acres of 60-year-old chardonnay vines for this Brut Nature, aging it on the lees for 30 months. They present it without dosage, allowing the deep flavors to show in all their brisk intensity. It feels youthful, with notes of lemon, pear and chalk in mouthwatering tension. A clean, fresh Champagne to enjoy with raw shellfish, or to cellar for several years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Nature is 100% Chardonnay bottled with no dosage. It is a gorgeous, striking wine endowed with layers of pure, crystalline fruit. Mint, flower, sweet herbs and minerals are some of the notes that meld together on the seamless finish. This is a pure, utterly impeccable wine.
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Wine Spectator
Firmly structured and refined in texture, this creamy version offers pretty floral and spice accents to the flavors of poached pear, toasted brioche, lemon curd and chalk. Bright and balanced.
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.’