Pure Chardonnay from the Côtes des Blancs. Opens with some yeast and savoury smells, then goes all tight and steely, then becomes a sublime exercise in linear power contained by an exquisite lightness of being. The fruit is fine sweet citrus and perfumed quince skin. Touches of spice and the best ripe acidity leave a hauntingly long taste of enormous subtleness. Incredibly clean and fresh too. If bombast and sweetness matter most in Champagne, then you’ll miss the beauty of this quietly spoken angel.
12.50% alcohol. Cork. $75.
95 delicate points.
August 2020, same label, different wine, such is NV based on different years and disgorging dates. 2016 base wine. Less generous than the one above, yeasty brioche and tarte tatin without the sugar to start, then a wave of chalky dry austerity. Cool citrus and sort of Chablis like green ripeness paradox.
92 points but maybe more with another year or so rest?
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 