France, Champagne
Sparkling wine – Pinot Noir / Chardonnay
Price category: Premium Price
Points: 97 – Irresistible
Stars: 4 – Worth the money
-> Champagne Mouzon-Leroux & Fils
Something rather special happens in Champagnes packed with personality, experience and generations of familiarity with the very vineyards where the grapes are grown. The difference can be difficult to pin down, yet a certain balance and sense of cohesion can disappear when production and volume begin to resemble a factory rather than a family-run wine estate. Champagne Mouzon-Leroux & Fils manages to bring a distinctive character to its Champagnes, and in this L’Ascendant Solera Grand Cru from Verzy, everything seems to fall beautifully into place.
The combination of depth, freshness and the elegant style that comes from vineyards with plenty of chalk in the soil creates a composed yet complex and nuanced character. The term ‘solera’ means that the wine is made from a blend of different vintages. Put simply, new grape must is added to the tank each year while wine is drawn off from the bottom. This makes the style something of an average of the most recent vintages, creating continuity from one year to the next.
Verzy lies on the north-eastern slopes of Montagne de Reims in Champagne. Cool temperatures and chalk-rich soils produce a taut, mineral Champagne style, with citrus and red apple among the flavours. Notes of freshly baked bread are clearly present too, combining with the fruit to give a finesse and depth that cannot be taken for granted in this price category.
It is dry and complex, but also approachable and elegant. A sublime Champagne experience with an abundance of precision, elegance, structure and depth.
