Champagne

Ayala’s Le Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, produced in small quantities in exceptional years only and fully expresses the superb caliber of great Chardonnay from the best crus of the Côte des Blancs. It is truly a unique vintage offering.

The 2015 vintage is sourced from three Grand Cru villages (Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil sur Oger) and two Premier Cru Villages (Cuis and Vertus). After six years of aging in Ayala’s cellars, remarkable minerality and low dosage (6g/l) make this an outstanding wine that can accompany a variety of flavorful dishes, or stand on its own.

Cuvée Louise Nature 2006: an exquisite, rare cuvée where 'Nature' takes on multiple meanings. Its distinctive minerality and unparalleled flavors are born from a 'no dosage' approach, enhancing its purity and connection to the terroir. This wine is not just a drink, but a journey into the heart of nature, reflecting a profound bond with the land that nurtures it. A true embodiment of elegance and natural sophistication, Cuvée Louise Nature 2006 offers a unique, spiritually enriching experience with every glass.  James Suckling 97 points

V93Vinous The NV Extra Brut Rosé de Meunier is very similar to the Ultradition version (the blend of vintages changes slightly) but bottled with 2.5 grams per liter of dosage. The lower dosage seems to bring out an extra kick of savory intensity to play off the dried rose petal, cinnamon, orange peel and crushed red berry fruit. This release is a blend of equal parts 2018 and 2017, done as a blend of lots that are pressed as white (Blanc de Noirs), saignée and still red wine. I loved it. RP90Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Disgorged earlier this year, the NV Extra-Brut Rosé de Meunier bursts with aromas of red berries, peonies, licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's layered and vinous, with a ripe core of fruit and brisk girdling acids. As usual, it's a blend of 60% direct pressed Pinot Meunier, 30% macerated Pinot Meunier and 10% red Pinot Meunier.

Grape Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Dosage: 4g/l - Extra Brut

Location: Chouilly, Champagne, France

Quick Facts:

Aged 5 years and part of the select group of champagnes known as Special Club

 The Special Club started in 1971. A dozen wine growers from some old families of Champagne had an idea to help people discover the originality and excellence of grower champagnes through select prestigious vintages.

The group today (now called The Club Trésors) is comprised of 28 artisan winemakers, each one selected for the quality of their work and each must adhere to a set of unrelenting quality standards:

Each winemaker must make their champagnes entirely on their own premises and the champagne must be made exclusively from grapes harvested from their own vineyards.
A Special Club champagne may only be made in outstanding vintage years and 4 years aging minimum is required.
Each champagne is subject to two blind tastings by a panel of club members. First as a still wine before bottling and again after 3 years aging in bottle. The panel then selects which bottles may be releases with the Special Club designation.   

This small grower and member of Champagne’s elite Special Club is located in the Grand Cru Village of Chouilly. The house was founded in 1929 by André Champion, who created his vineyard in the famous Cote des Blancs area of Chouilly, some of the best soils for the Chardonnay grape. Champagne Roland Champion is run by Roland’s son François, third generation of the family. He is the winemaker, and he runs the winery with the help of his family, including his fourth-generation daughters Carole and Clémence.

Taittinger Brut La Française is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wines from at least 35 villages. The high proportion of Chardonnay (40%) is unique among fine nonvintage Champagnes. The presses are located in the vineyard for immediate pressing of the fruit after the manual harvest, and the resulting must is cold fermented under temperature-controlled conditions. After resting until the end of winter, the wine is blended, and then the final cuvée undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle in Taittinger’s cool cellars. The aging of Brut La Française on the lees for almost 4 years more than doubles the legal minimum of 15 months. This extra time in the cellars allows the wine to reach the peak of aromatic maturity, and the result is a delicately balanced Champagne, known for its consistently excellent quality.

Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc

This producer with vines in Grand Cru vineyards on the Côte des Blancs has created a tight, young and mineral-driven Champagne. Its acidity and texture are wrought and nervy, just waiting to uncoil and soften to give an attractive wine. Drink from 2022.

The fine, lively mousse carries notes of raspberry puree, peach skin and walnut oil, plus dried herb and mineral hints, in this balanced rose Champagne. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged September 2022. Drink now. 250 cases imported.
Wine Spector 90 points

Gonet-Medeville's 1er Cru Rosé Extra Brut Champagne is made from a blend of 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir  

WSI94+ Aromas of gardenia, light toast, lemon zest. Fresh, delicate and refined; flavors of yellow stone fruits, sea salt, white pepper. Hand-harvested. Pressed in an ancient wooden upright press. 

Critical Acclaim WE 94 points

Wine Enthusiast: In keeping with the house style, this is a dry brut. It brings out freshness, tight crispness and taut minerality. The Champagne demands some further aging to soften its vibrant edge. Drink from 2022. JS92James Suckling Dried honeysuckle, lemon, dried apple, praline, toasted almond and crushed stone on the nose. Mineral and linear with a medium body, sharp acidity and sleek bubbles. Fresh and dry. Chardonnay.