Fleur de Craie Brut Nature 2017

The Chardonnay of this cuvée comes from chalky soils with a clay layer around Villenauxe-la-Grande. The yield was 60 hl/ha. The vines are around 40 years old and were ECOCERT certified in 2012. For the base wine, 90 % of Cœur de Cuvée were used and 10 % of Taille. The fruit was from 2017 and after natural settling, 15 % of the juice was fermented in barrel and 85 % in stainless steel tank and aged for nine months. On the bottle, the wine matured for 30 months There was no dosage. The champagne was disgorged by hand.

Pale gold with bubbling perlage in the glass

The fleur de craie shows juiciness and fruit sweetness on the nose. It is ripe fruit of citrus, pineapple, some mango, stone fruit and pears that dominate here, and it is accompanied by a little ginger, almonds and stone.

On the palate, the perlage has quickly calmed down and appears elegant. It underpins a pure, clear and bright fruit and a clear chalkiness. The champagne seems even purer on the palate than on the nose. There are also more citric notes and the acidity and zero dosage build tension. The slight use of wood is only marginally noticeable. There are nuances of almonds and hazelnuts alongside the fruit. This is a fresh champagne with great suppleness, with finesse and aromatic intensity.