APPEARANCE
This bottle has benefited from 18 months of post-disgorgement evolution, so it opens with age-mellowed creamy tones over a lemony fruit core. Made of Chardonnay exclusively from Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, it has an opulent fruity power; linear and firmly structured. The partial ageing in oak comes across as woody spiciness on the palate. A fine acid structure leads to an intense, zippy lemony finish. This shows quite a lot of ageing complexity already but will take further time well.
Club Oenologique – Essi Avellan MW – 2024
The Blanc de Blancs 2014 is made exclusively from the first pressing, the purest, of Grand Cru Chardonnay, from the heart of the Côte des Blancs: Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant and Chouilly, 25% of which are vinified in small old oak barrels.
It benefits from eight years ageing on lees and 18 months rest minimum after disgorgement.
This 2014 vintage evokes gourmandise, fleshiness and an almost exotic luxuriance… at only 3g dosage.
the blend
100% CHARDONNAY
ageing
8 years on the lees
18 MOnths MINIMUM post-disgorgement
availability
75 cl
150 cl
« gourmand » by monique tello
This wine testifies to the surprising generosity – yet freshness – of this vintage: it is a real invitation to gourmandise. In order to illustrate Blanc de Blancs, the artist Monique Tello was commissioned on the theme “Gourmand”.
A painter and engraver, Tello has taught at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Poitiers since 1981. The freedom of her drawing, the fluidity of her line – the back and forth of the gesture – between method and chance, bring to her work both fantasy and poetry. It has been influenced by the Supports/Surfaces movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s and inspired by Action Painting – where the paint can be dripped, splashed or smeared – and Automatic Writing which is unconscious. Her work is distinguished by the underlying perspectives inscribed in successive layers, the sensitivity of the writing and the subtlety of the selected shades.
tasting notes
A brilliant, pale gold tint, with a fine and chiselled effervescence reflecting the wine’s long ageing period.
NOSE
Very enveloping with initial aromas of stone fruits, hawthorn and sea spray… Generous citrus notes such as yuzu and blood orange, enhanced by a fresh aniseed flavour. With aeration, the wine evolves towards almonds, mixed with scents of apricot.
PALATE
The attack is precise and supple. On the palate, the wine is well-rounded with a beautiful ripeness. As promised by the appearance, the texture is caressing, almost unctuous. There is great aromatic coherence between the nose and the palate. The freshness of the vintage is expressed in its saline structure and persistence, without any austerity.
The full flavour of the yellow fruits mixed with star anise inspires the ‘Gourmand’ theme that the artist was commissioned to illustrate this wine.
the perfect match
The enveloping texture of this wine makes it a wonderful companion for seafood and raw fish. Its intensity also goes well with grilled or smoked prawns, or even certain meats such as Iberian pork with yuzu and a truffle sauce.
