Agrapart Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs NV (750ML)

94 WI / 94 DE / 93 WA

The NV Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut is 100% Chardonnay from the Avize Grand Cru. Bottled in May 2018, it was disgorged in March 2022 and has no more than 5 g/L dosage. This is always a blend of 2 vintages from specifically chosen Grand Cru vineyard blocks in Avize, Oger, Cramant, and Oiry. The nose shows impressive restraint, with subtle yet distinct chalk dust, honeyed toast, lemon curd, and orange blossom scents, followed by hints of cashew butter and grapefruit oil. The palate is delicately styled with a racy yet well-balanced acid line and a very fine mousse to frame the nuanced citrus and mineral-laced flavors, finishing with great persistence. Delicious now, but it has the structure and intensity to develop gracefully over the next decade and keep for up to 20 years. This is one for those who seek high-class finesse and restraint, not for those looking for richness and opulence.- Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Sourced from specific grand cru plots of older vines in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry, this blend of two vintages displays a zesty lemon aroma, followed by a palate full of fresh apple and tangerine flavours with creamy wood touches. At 5g/l of residual sugar, this nudges into the Extra-Brut category, and it must be one of the very best examples of the style. It works particularly well as a blanc de blancs, and its dry, steely, mineral, moreish character imparts great balance to the ripe fruit profile.

The latest rendition of Agrapart's NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs is excellent. Based on the 2018 vintage, with fully 80% reserve wines from 2017 (some 40% of which mature in wood), it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and chiseled, evocative of citrus oil, buttered toast, mint and fresh bread. It derives from holdings in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry.

Every time I taste a mature bottle of Agrapart, I wonder if I've ever given this exceptional producer his due in these pages. Pascal, now aided by his son Ambroise, is one of the great artisanal winemakers of Champagne, with beautifully situated and thoughtfully farmed parcels, careful winemaking and a terrific track record for producing wines of structure, concentration and complexity. This new set of releases is especially brilliant, but that will come as no surprise to readers who have been following Agrapart over the decades, as perpetual improvement is part of this estate's DNA. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate