This bottle was probably the last of this summer’s luxurious Champagne, thanks to a generous best friend who’s still keen to indulge and share before it’s too late. And what a particularly great Chardonnay in particular. It’s interesting for the wine nerd to notice the grape variety and place are prominent on the label. As much as Champagne’s a label for fizzy celebration guarded often by a ferocious tendency to threaten litigation at the smallest hint of misappropriation, it can still be a gobsmacking Chardonnay from a very special bit of chalky soil. The back label explains whence and how….
A vin vivant indeed, it certainly made this life extra lively. Once the bubbles calmed a little and it warmed in the glass, the brilliant quality of the grapes involved was obvious, should you take the time to sip and think. There’s subtle grace and power. Reading the back label, there’s some passionate hand crafting involved. But there’s no rustic clumsiness. Instead there’s incredible detail and finesse for want of a better word. One of the Winefront crew recently noted they preferred ripeness still on the way up rather than overripe on the way down. This just teeters at the summit. Mouth watering crystalline citrus, quince and a splash of tangy white peach juice. Perfume of flowers and waxy honey. Once more there’s a palpable feel of something related to soil or rock which defeats my limited ability to put into words. To be totally pseud corner about it, it’s like standing in front of a great painting for a few moments in a quiet gallery and being inexplicably transfixed. Sort of… Needless to say, but I will, there’s impeccably fine acidity and a brush of texture that means a 750ml bottle is just far too small. Always loved Blanc des Blancs but a couple recently have been not a lot short of profound. Jewels in what was once literally Paris’ junk heap. Try googling gadoux.
12.5% alcohol. Cork. $ kind of irrelevant.
96 points but much more than that.
Cognitive Bottle Therapy 