The 12 Champagnes of Christmas
Produced only in exceptional vintages, Cuvée Exhilarante is a masterful, limited-production blend of grapes rigorously selected from the family's best old-vine parcels drawn from the entire estate. It is fashioned from 80% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant and Oger (from vines 60-80 years old) and complexed with 10% Pinot Noir (for structure) and 10% Meunier (for fruitiness). After traditional hand riddling this cuvée was disgorged in January 2022 after 9 years on the yeast and finished off with a minimal dosage of 4g/l. We were immediately smitten by its nose which proffers an array of citrus aromas mingled with inflections of sea air and meadow flowers. On the palate one finds an abundance of luminous green apple and pear fruit accented with focused malic acidity set atop a sturdy foundation of textbook Avize chalk. Interestingly, the red grapes in the cuvée seem to frame and amplify the Champagne's Chardonnay character while adding depth to the resonant finish. This 2012 Exhilarante is a serious, pitch-perfect bottling that compares favorably to prestige Champagnes selling for three times its modest price. Pictured (r): Patrick Le Brun
Produced only in exceptional vintages, Cuvée Exhilarante is a masterful, limited-production blend of grapes rigorously selected from the family's best old-vine parcels drawn from the entire estate. It is fashioned from 80% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant and Oger (from vines 60-80 years old) and complexed with 10% Pinot Noir (for structure) and 10% Meunier (for fruitiness). After traditional hand riddling this cuvée was disgorged in January 2022 after 9 years on the yeast and finished off with a minimal dosage of 4g/l. We were immediately smitten by its nose which proffers an array of citrus aromas mingled with inflections of sea air and meadow flowers. On the palate one finds an abundance of luminous green apple and pear fruit accented with focused malic acidity set atop a sturdy foundation of textbook Avize chalk. Interestingly, the red grapes in the cuvée seem to frame and amplify the Champagne's Chardonnay character while adding depth to the resonant finish. This 2012 Exhilarante is a serious, pitch-perfect bottling that compares favorably to prestige Champagnes selling for three times its modest price. Pictured (r): Patrick Le Brun
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