Agrapart Grand Cru Terroirs Blanc de Blancs NV (Disg. March 2023)

Disgorged March 2023. 

100% Grand Cru with the fruit sourced only from great sites across four revered villages in the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Cramant, Oger and Oiry. Together with the terroir, vine age is a key factor in quality. The average age of the plantings is more than 50 years.

This release is based on 2019, 2018 and 2017, with the reserve wine making up a remarkable 80% of the cuvée—another key to the quality. After natural fermentation, half the wine matured in large-format, neutral oak and then spent more than 36 months on lees.

Dosage is limited to 5 g/L and disgorgement was carried out by hand in March 2023. These winemaking standards, combined with organic viticulture, set a benchmark far higher than any Grande Marque prestige cuvée we know of. This disgorgement is flat-out stunning. Perhaps this is down to the quality of the vintages involved, or perhaps it’s the dominance of reserve wines in the blend. Regardless, it’s evidence of a stellar grower in perpetual movement. It is wonderful now and will, as always, benefit from another year under cork. 

Based on the 2019 vintage, but with a preponderance of reserve wines from 2018, Agrapart's NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs delivers notes of citrus oil, white flowers, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts, followed by a medium to full-bodied, creamy and satiny palate that's bright, lively and chalky. Wines from Oger dominate the blend. Drink 2023-2032. 93 Points. William Kelley, The Wine Advocate.