Olivier Horiot 'Metisse' Brut Nature NV

Assemblage - 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Blanc.

The latest rendition of the NV Métisse, Horiot's largest cuvée, is based on the 2019 vintage and unites the eight different terroirs of Les Riceys in a blend dominated by Pinot Noir and complemented by some 20% reserve wines. Offering up aromas of sweet orchard fruit, honeycomb, white flowers and smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with a seamless, chalky profile and a long, resonant finish. The base vintage renders this a particular success this year. 93 points, drink 2023-2030, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate.

Olivier Horiot launched his winemaking career in Les Riceys with a range of still wines in 2000, producing his first Champagnes in 2004. He has been working biodynamically since 2002, and today works in polyculture, farming animals (which supply manure for his nine hectares of vineyards) and cereals as well as grapevines, and he planted trees and hedgerows around and within his holdings. After studying in Burgundy, Horiot began vinifying parcel by parcel to get to know his terroirs better; and he explains that once he tasted his lieux-dits separately, it became hard to blend them. The vins clairs see a long élevage, sometimes as much as two years, in used Burgundy barrels, before tirage, and the Rosé de Riceys is released at aged five. At their best, these are extremely characterful, flavorful wines, with a vinous style and real complexity. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate.