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96
/ 100
Mike Bennie
Sparkling
Classification
Chardonnay
Variety
2019
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
France
Country
Champagne,
Region
12.0%
Alcohol %
Drink Now
Cellaring
Scores
96 / 100"Chardonnay here. Single plot. Sandy soils with chalk underneath. Made in barrel. Selosse as mentor speaks volumes in these wines; complex, vinous, often oxidative (in balance) and energetic. Crystalline and distinctly minerally, light toasty elements, preserved lemon, stewed apples with cinnamon, green tea, touches of quince paste and light fino sherry notes. It’s very vinous; it’s a sensational chardonnay (tasted flat too) in its own right, with chalky edges, pucker and chew to texture and yet a sizzle of lively bubbles invigorating as it goes. Cinnamon spice, light curry leaf notes, sandalwood elements – more details. It sits more in an aperitif style, almost a party Champagne, but as it opens up, wow, the complexity comes in waves. I’d be decanting this one too. It’s sensational."
- Mike Bennie
Tasting Notes
(Disg. Mar 2024)
The density of this Champagne orients my choice towards oak containers, from coopers casks are more "reductant and
protective." Since 2012, Chemin de Reims has been aged in casks of 350 to 600 litres.
Regular topping-up at the end of fermentation allows us to preserve the originality of the wines from this plot.
This iron-rich soil gives the roots a rosy hue and a twisted shape, a sign of a soil very well-suited to host the vines. This generous soil is often worked under a cover of natural grasses, which limits the vines' abundance and the excess water, and thus the availability of nutrients to the plants.
A warm wine, with medium salivation at the back of the tongue. Tannic bitterness coats the palate. Le Chemin de Reims is mainly planted with Chardonnay, but, due to the iron-rich soil, the fullness and good structure on the palate take precedence over the variety's normal character. A sanguine (ferric) texture, ample in the mid-palate then taut at the end, is characteristic of the plot's
location.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity