Champagne Alfred Gratien - Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 2009
15/20
Bettane & Desseauve
The 2009 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs reveals an open and particularly complex nose. The initial notes of pear and vanilla give way to ripe wheat, lemon zest, and white pepper, followed by more floral and pastry-like notes. On the palate, it is pure, supple, and velvety in texture. Aromatic and full-bodied, this cuvée is a benchmark for the vintage.
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Eye
Golden color. Fine bubbles
Nose
Open and complex, with notes of pear and vanilla, ripe wheat, lemon zest, and white pepper. Then, more floral notes of jasmine, lavender, honey, and toasted almonds...
Palate
Smooth and full-bodied. A rich, vinous texture. A long, very soft, and salty finish
Serve
at 10°C
Drink from
2018
Drink before
2022
Food and wine pairings
Pairs well with langoustines, sea urchins, sweetbreads...
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated 15/20 (Very good wine)
Rated estate (2019 guide): 4 stars (Producers of the very highest quality, the pride of French viticulture)
About the wine:
A crisp, clean, long-finishing wine with mineral and citrus notes.
About the estate:
Small in vineyard area (less than 2 hectares), but big on quality, this discreet house, owned by the same proprietors as Gratien-Meyer (Crémant de Loire), has the welcoming face of a sure bet. Vinification systematically takes place in barrels, and malolactic fermentation is blocked to maintain extra vibrancy. It's the archetype of a connoisseur's champagne. At Alfred Gratien, the vintage cuvée is always older than the prestige cuvée, Paradis: 2004 versus 2008. Both are magnificent, and the vinous, intense 2004 is still remarkably young, but the 2008 Paradis deserves high praise—it's a vintage that will be remembered for years to come. The 2007 rosé Paradis also shines!
Guide Hachette des vins
Rated estate (2019 guide) Award-winning wines (This producer’s wines regularly receive awards from the guide)
About the estate:
Founded in 1864 by Alfred Gratien, the house was acquired in 2000 by the German group Henkell & Co, which has brought together numerous European sparkling wine brands. It has retained its cellar master, Nicolas Jaeger, the fourth of that name to work for the brand and to preserve its traditions (absence of malolactic fermentation, aging of base wines in reused Champagne barrels).
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Estate rated "Recommended" (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Rated estate (2019 guide) Selected (Please note that this guide is a ranking, and as such, all the estates listed here—even those without a star—represent, in our view, the pinnacle of French winemaking.)
About the estate:
This discreet house, which perpetuates the tradition of crafting still wines in oak barrels—dynamic and complex Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes—has, like its parent company Gratien-Meyer in Saumur, belonged since 2000 to a major sparkling wine group based in Wiesbaden, Germany. In historic buildings in the center of Épernay, cellar master Nicolas Jaeger, who succeeded his father and grandfather, perfects a handcrafted Champagne-making process, gradually streamlined but still limited in volume. Almost all of his grapes are sourced within a 40-kilometer radius of Épernay, resulting in Champagnes that soften and enhance their naturally high acidity (since malolactic fermentation is blocked) through barrel vinification. The vintage wines are aged in the cellars under cork stoppers. The proportion of Meunier grapes is reduced in the latest blends, giving way to Pinot Noir.
Customer rating
5/5
based on 2 reviews
Review by Mr. STEPHANE L. Posted on September 22, 2018
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Review by Mr. G. Ponti. Published on August 9, 2018
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