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Wine Description
The Story
The cellars are located in Ecueil, just south of Reims. Vineyards are all Premier or Grand Cru rated, planted on south-facing hillsides in the communes of Ecueil, Villars-Allerand and Bouzy, all on the Montagne de Reims.
The classic Champagne soil is chalk-based. The "Franc de Pied" parcel supports ungrafted vines because of its high sand content.
Located in Ecueil, on the Montagne de Reims, Nicolas Maillart is a family domaine with 8.5 hectares of excellent Premier and Grand Cru vineyards, spread through the villages of Bouzy, Ecueil and Villars Allerand. Nicolas himself studied in Bordeaux and worked in South Africa before taking over from his father in 2003. He is passionate about quality, with particular focus on viticulture : organic in approach if not in certification, old vines, sélection massale, he even maintains a rare ungrafted parcel of Pinot Noir. In the cellar, fermentation in tank or wood to suit the terroir, and partial barrel-ageing of the reserve wines to produce concentrated Champagnes with impressive power and length that nevertheless remain light on their feet. These are truly exciting Champagnes that command attention without ever sacrificing elegance and drinkability
Vintage 2012
The next most exceptional vintage since 2008. A truly difficult growing season saw severe frosts in the winter. March brought warmth but early budbreak made the vines vulnerable to spring frosts. Overall, the early growing season was wet, and mildew became a serious issue. However, conditions improved dramatically in the later summer months. An August heatwave resulted in a rapid accumulation of sugar, but fortunately the nights remained cool, which helped to preserve acidity. Although yields were low (averaging at 9,210 kg/ha) due to frost, hail and disease early in the season, the 2012 harvest was exemplary in its maturity, acidity and grape health. A rare high acid, high sugar September harvest with impeccable concentration of flavour and refreshing vibrancy. Pinot Noir is the superstar of the vintage, though Pinot Meunier excelled too. A vintage that promises great longevity for the finest cuvées, it was widely declared by producers. However, Krug decided to invest in its reserve wines on this great year, and no Vintage was produced. The quality of 2012 is universally high, with the greatest releases so far including Louis Roederer Cristal and Cristal Rosé, Bollinger La Grande Année and La Grande Année Rosé, as well as Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé.