Benoit Lahaye Brut Nature Grand Cru N.V

45% pinot noir, 22% meunier, 33% chardonnay

“There is precision, balance & vibrancy in this champagne & the aromas that greet you are light blue iris, old gold cymbidium orchids & ginger flowers. A beautiful palate awakens with raspberries, morello cherries, ruby grapefruit, pear, white gooseberries, & wild peaches all covered with sweet lime juice. The richness comes from the wonderful reserve wines & some oak influence, & it reflects in cooked apple with nutmeg, honeyed nuts, guava, dried apricots & flickers of mineral & fine chalk.”

Jacquart Blanc De Blancs 2009, 100% Chardonnay from grand crus vineyards on the Cote des Blanc and premiers crus in viller-Marmery. This wine represents everything that Jacquart holds dear when blending regions renowned for Blanc De Blancs. Fresh outlooks on their winemaking ensure its Longevity following its well received 2006 vintage.

Lively golden straw and gleaming bead, creamy soft buttery savouriness and hints of brioche and toasted nougat, almond and restrained honey. Back bone of crisp acid and lingering citrus stone fruits. Balanced mouthfeel and flowing and stylish champagne. Spring time perfection but best enjoyed ALL YEAR round.

Gosset Grand Millesime 2006 is  a blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay. The first nose is very fresh and expressive with notes of hawthorn, lilac, wild white flowers and fruit notes such as pear, plum and Mirabelle. The palate is straightforward with light notes of violet. Citrus fruits aromas dominate in this cuvée: lemon drops and grapefruit aromas sustained by fruit aromas (pear, plum) thus confirming the nose. In the mouth, we can find aromas of citrus caviar and grapefruit. The finish has a long lasting, refreshing note with a hint of saltiness, and ends with notes of lemon.

Gentle vinification in wood gives him more aromatic complexity while preserving the freshness of the chardonnay. An atypical, rare champagne! ». An unfamiliar, esoteric world of flowers, spices and exotic wood. The taste, instantly seductive, is well-balanced and harmonious showing both its vivacious nature and great mellowness.

Brut Premier Cru is aged for 5 years in a cellar before undergoing a late disgorgement. The Brut is the result of a harmonious blend of three varieties of grapes: 50% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier. It is enhanced with a small amount of sugar, 6.5g/litre. This Champagne has tastes of white fruits, crystallised fruits, spices and honey.

Gosset Grande Reserve NV. A blend of Chardonnay (45%), Pinot Noir (45%) and Pinot Meunier (10%)—shows an intense, ripe and aromatic yet vinous bouquet with white and delicate red fruit, floral, brioche and nutty expressions. Full-bodied, dry and very fresh, this is a firm, complex, finessed, fruity, round and stimulating cuvée with a good, tight and slightly salty finish.

Gosset, founded in 1584, is the oldest wine house in Champagne. In 1584, Pierre Gosset, alderman of Aÿ and wine-grower, made still, mostly red, wines from the grapes he harvested from his own vines. In those days, two wines vied for pride of place at the table to the Kings of France: the wine of Aÿ and, from some hundreds of leagues further South, the wine of Beaune. Then, in the 18th century the wine made in around Aÿ began to bubble and the Gosset family turned naturally to the production of champagne.

A delicious, persistent rosé that works equally well as an aperitif or with elaborate meals. – Gilbert & Gaillard, 2016.

Colour
Intense salmon pink.

Nose
Displays red berry-fruit aromas of ripe redcurrants, cherries, wild strawberries, giving way to notes of plum.

Palate
A fresh and full style of champagne with a fine finish and notes of peach and apricot.

Technical notes
This cuvée has all the hallmark Chardonnay finesse (35%-40%), rounded out by the ripeness of the Pinot Meunier (25-30%) and the structure of the Pinot Noir, of which 15%-18% is vinified as red wine. The addition of Pinot Noir red wine to the blend (15-18%) and a light dosage of 10g/L result in a very complete, balanced champagne.