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Wine Description
The Story
A glittering, golden Champagne, twinkling with amber highlights and an endless cascade of shimmering, festive bubbles.
The wine shows depth and refinement on the nose, revealing an exquisite bouquet of perfectly ripe fruit (pears and Mirabelle plums) and crystallized citrus (lemons and mandarins) blended with delicate hints of almonds, sweet pastries, honey and caramel.
These flavours linger deliciously on the palate, highlighting the wine's dense substance and length. There is a fine balance of fullness and freshness as subtle notes of butter and spice create a wonderfully mellow flavour. A lasting, mineral component, a signature characteristic of this Champagne, underlines the wine's radiance and purity to create a lingering palate profile.
When France was still a monarchy, ‘échanson’ was the title bestowed on the court official charged with serving wine at the king’s table. As the officer of the royal cellars, the échanson was also responsible for selecting, tasting and generally promoting the appreciation of wines. This cuvee is dedicated to his modern-day counterparts : the sommeliers who are the ambassadors for our Champagnes and have helped to establish Les Echansons as the jewel in our crown for nearly half a century.
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.