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Wine Description
The Story
First press juice from exclusively Premier and Grand Cru plots. 100% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and our vineyards in Mareuil-sur-Ay and Ay.
vinification
Vinified using traditional methods to avoid premature oxidation. Partial malolactic fermentation for the wines in vats and vinification without malolactic fermentation for the wines in wooden barrels. Extra-brut dosage (4.25 g/litre) to maintain a balance between freshness and vinosity without masking the wine’s character and purity.
aging
Aged for five to seven years to develop maximum complexity and to highlight the secondary and tertiary aromas which are the hallmark of extended aging on lees.
Vintage 2015
A wet winter and mild spring gave way to an exceptionally dry summer from mid-May onwards. Hot weather prevailed until mid-August, when the skies opened again. Rains gave way to fine, cool, yet sunny weather for the first two weeks of harvest, which commenced on August 29th. The 2015 vintage has a lot of common denominators with the 2003 vintage but the 2015s are showing a better balance of weight and freshness with their average potential alcohol level of 10.5% and total acidity of 6.9 g/l. The quality and ageing capacity of the vintage has been questioned because of the low acidity, but to me the structure of the wine is not the problem; the aromatics are. Initially as vins clairs, I found the wines to come with ample, attractive fruitiness. The vegetal, particularly ash-like aromatics were subdued but have since then become amplified, especially in the vintage bottlings. Drought issues are considered to be the culprit to these widely spread aromatic issues of the year. I have come notably down from my initial assessment. However, most vintage and prestige cuvées are yet to surface from the cellars and their quality will make or break the vintage.
