Agrapart & Fils Grand Cru Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut NV

Pascal Agrapart is, without doubt, one of Champagne’s most outstanding growers and, for Chardonnay alone, probably the reference. Pascal Agrapart is now routinely compared to his neighbour Selosse, even though the style of wine produced by these two men is markedly different. If you were looking for a Burgundian analogy, you could think of Selosse as Lafon to Agrapart’s Coche. Both are in the same village, crafting wine of exceptional quality, yet making wines that are very, very different. To compare, Agrapart picks earlier and uses larger, older wood and bottles earlier, resulting in wines that are less influenced by oxygen. Avize has always been a special village, and today, thanks to Agrapart and Selosse, it is at the heart of the great grower movement in Champagne. The grapes are pressed with a traditional Coquard vertical press, and fermentation is carried out with natural yeasts, which is crucial to the expression of terroir. Malolactic fermentation is completed for all the wines, and aging is, for the most part, in old, 600-litre demi-muids. Dosage, done with a traditional liqueur of cane sugar, varies from wine to wine, although it is usually around 3-4 g/L. Bottled with no filtration and no cold stabilisation with extended lees aging. 100% Grand Cru with the fruit sourced only from great sites across four revered villages in the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Cramant, Oger and Oiry. Together with the terroir, vine age is a key factor in quality. The average age of the plantings is more than 50 years. This release is based on 2019, 2018 and 2017, with the reserve wine making up a remarkable 80% of the cuvée—another key to the quality. After natural fermentation, half the wine matured in large-format, neutral oak and then spent more than 36 months on lees. Dosage is limited to 5 grams per litre and disgorgement was carried out by hand in March 2023. These winemaking standards, combined with organic viticulture set a benchmark. It is wonderful now and will, as always, benefit from another year under cork. he latest rendition of Agrapart’s NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs is excellent. Based on the 2018 vintage, with fully 60% reserve wines from 2017 (some 40% of which mature in wood), it’s medium to full-bodied, seamless and chiselled, evocative of citrus oil, buttered toast, mint and fresh bread. It derives from holdings in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry. – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, 93 Points. Creamy and flavourful, yet it remains precise and vertical, with an array of lemons, green apples, pie crust, almonds, hazelnuts and chalk. Medium-bodied with creamy, fine bubbles. Lots of energy, with zesty citrus notes at the end. Layered blanc de blancs. – James Suckling, 95 points. The Finer Details Style – Champagne Varietal – Chardonnay Country – France Region – Champagne Vintage – Non-Vintage Bottle Size – 750ml ABV – 12%