| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Champagne |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Sparkling |
The 2012 La Grande Dame is a pretty wine, but it is starting to show the first signs of aromatic development. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something readers should keep in mind when deciding when to open this. I would not push my luck on aging. Dried pear, ginger, crushed flowers and spice fill out the layers nicely in a gentle, open-knit Champagne to drink over the next 5-10 years. Disgorged: February, 2021. Drink 2023-2040.
Again, almost a Blanc de Noirs signed Dominique Demarville strongly dominated by Verzy. However, the small addition of Chardonnay comes exclusively from the two strongest perfumes in the Côte des Blancs, Avize and Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger and their impact is significantly greater than the percentage indicates. An absolutely wonderful and surprisingly open and generous 2012.The color is lighter and with more green splashes than expected and the perfume is seductive and complete. Here, buttery notes dance together with the whole patisserie, all kinds of apple varieties, mandarin, nougat, white chocolate, peach marmalade and hazelnut cream in a completely harmonious way already. I will drink my bottles of this champagne much earlier than I will with the slowly evolving and much tighter 08′. This brilliant champagne is very reminiscent of how the later legendary 79′ tasted like as newly launched
Fine and graceful, this dances across the palate with its bright, well-defined freshness and detailed flavors of Mandarin orange, toast point, crème de cassis and minerally oyster shell. Subtle in its intensity, with all the pieces seamlessly knit into an elegant whole. Disgorged September 2019. Drink now through 2030.
Notably mineral – even metallic – nose. Certainly not the floral perfume of Pinot Noir but something quite tight and not at all sweet. More structured, transparent, fresh and rewarding than many a Grande Dame I have tasted before. Long and well balanced with some lift and even slight bitterness on the end. I can see winemaker Didier Mariotti's description of this as 'vertical'.
