Agrapart Grand Cru Venus Blanc de Blancs 2016 (Disg. June 2022)

Disgorged June 2022.

This is a very special wine from a very special plot of dirt. It comes from one-third of a hectare of vines in the renowned Avize vineyard plot called La Fosse aux Pourceaux. This 0.3-hectare section of La Fosse lies on the chalkiest portion of the slope near the village (contrasting with the more clay-rich soils of the Avizoise cuvée). The vines were planted in 1959 and so are extremely old by Champagne standards. This single parcel cuvée is therefore made in only tiny quantities each year. The wine is named after the Boulonnais mare, Vénus, that first ploughed the vineyard.

Yes, the Avizoise is one of the benchmark wines of the Côte des Blancs, and yet Vénus somehow takes everything to yet another level. It’s even deeper and retains plenty of finesse and mineral intensity to go with the wine’s pillowy layers of texture and serious complexity. It’s an intense wine that demands food and is worth decanting when young. It will also benefit from two or three years further aging (at least). Treat it like a great white wine, served at the table with proper wine glasses (we recommend a Burgundy shape) and you will be greatly rewarded. This cuvée is bottled without dosage.

“From old vines in lieu-dit La Fosse that are planted at somewhat lower density (1.2 meters apart) but where there are consequently very few missing vines or replants, Agrapart's striking 2016 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus unwinds in the glass with scents of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, toasted almonds, warm biscuits, orange zest and iodine. Full-bodied, concentrated and tightly wound, with terrific depth at the core, racy acids and a long, intensely saline finish, it's another brilliant wine from this benchmark grower-bottler.” 98 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate