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Wine Information
Eye: Visually, the wine shows a deep gold colour animated by a very vivacious and fine
effervescence: it is “tumultuous and flamboyant”.
Nose: Aromas of ripe fruit to the fore, dominates by citrus notes. Then hints of red fruits – raspberries / cherries… - gently appear, and after a few minutes in the glass notes of honey develop and enhance the generous and warm personality of this great wine.
Palate: When tasted, the first impression combines freshness and length. Fruit and spicy notes are well balanced, offering a “gourmand” impression. Freshness, ampleness, and length characterise this 1999 vintage.
To illustrate the vintage the French artist Didier PAQUIGNON worked on the theme:
“FLAMBOYANT, TUMULTUEUX” (flamboyant, tumultuous). Didier PAQUIGNON was born in 1958 in Paris, and trained at the “Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art”, followed by the “Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Paris”. A large part of his work can be discovered through his different travels – Greece, Albania, Spain… - or alternatively by observing very particular interiors such as the one of the Théâtre du Vieux Colombier. Luc SIMON says of Didier.
PAQUIGNON: “Painting took him by the extremity of his fingers; he followed her obeying
and refusing”.
Vintage 1999
A difficult start to the year led to early budbreak. There were some damaging hailstorms in early May, but the frost ultimately stayed away. The summer was overall warm and thanks to the hot and dry August, the grapes looked promising for the harvest. However, a damp September challenged producers and dilution was an issue for some. The 1999 harvest that started on September 15th produced a large yield (12,989 kg/ha) of sweet grapes that resulted in soft wines, low in acidity, which produced Champagnes that, in many cases, miss linearity and structure. Voluptuous and enjoyable with ripe, fruity, even exotic characters but in most cases for the medium-term only, even if the best seem to be maturing better than initially expected. The red wines of the year were exceptional and resulted in some outstanding prestige cuvée rosés, such as Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé and Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé.