Champagne Alfred Gratien - Blanc de Blancs 2012
93/100
Robert Parker
16,5/20
Bettane & Desseauve
16/20
RVF
This 2012 Blanc de Blancs reveals an open and particularly complex nose. The pear and vanilla notes give way to more indulgent aromas of brioche and buttered toast. With a smooth texture, the palate is vinous, underscored by a delicious acidity. The finish is long and tender, ending with a salty minerality. Complex and smooth, 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, followed by notes of brioche and buttered toast.
Mouth
Supple and broad. Creamy and vinous texture. Long finish, very tender and salty.
Serve
At 10°C
Drink from
2019
Drink before
2025
Food and wine pairings
Pairs well with langoustines, lobsters, seafood, white meats, and grilled fish.
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated 16.5/20 (2009 vintage) (Reference wine)
Rated estate (2019 guide) 4 stars (Producers of very high quality, those who are the pride of French vineyards)
About the estate:
Small in size (less than 2 hectares) but big on quality, this discreet house, owned by the same people as Gratien-Meyer (Crémant de Loire), is a safe bet. The wines are systematically vinified in barrels and malolactic fermentation is blocked in order to maintain extra liveliness. It is the archetype of a connoisseur's champagne. At Alfred Gratien, the vintage cuvée is always older than the year of the prestige cuvée, Paradis: 2004 versus 2008. Both are magnificent, and the 2004, which is vinous and intense, is still very young in fact, but we must tip our hats to the 2008 Paradis, which will go down in history. The 2007 Paradis Rosé also shines!
Guide Hachette des vins
Rated estate (2019 guide) Award-winning wines (This producer's wines are regularly recognized by the guide)
About the estate:
A company founded in 1864 by Alfred Gratien, 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 uphold its traditions (no malolactic fermentation, aging of base wines in reused Champagne barrels).
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Wine rated 93/100 (2009 vintage) (Outstanding wine)
Rated Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Wine rated 16/20 + Favorite 2009 vintage) (Very good wine)
Rated estate (2019 guide) Selected (Please note that this guide is a ranking and, as such, all the estates listed in it, even those without stars, represent, in our opinion, the excellence of French production.)
About the estate:
This discreet house, which continues to produce its clear wines in barrels, dynamic and complex champagnes dominated by Chardonnay, has belonged since 2000, like its parent company Gratien-Meyer in Saumur, to a major sparkling wine group based in Wiesbaden, Germany. In historic buildings in the center of Epernay, cellar master Nicolas Jaeger, who took over from his father and grandfather, perfects an artisanal champagne production process that has been gradually streamlined but remains limited in volume. Almost all of his grapes are purchased within a 40 km radius of Épernay, used to make champagnes that smooth out and add complexity to their naturally high acidity (since malolactic fermentation is blocked) through barrel vinification. The vintage wines are aged in the cellar under cork. The proportion of Meunier is decreasing in recent blends in favor of Pinot Noir.
Customer rating
5/5
based on 2 reviews
Note and opinion by Mr. BOUTRY D. Published on February 17, 2023
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Note and opinion by Mr. PATRICK C. Published on 07/14/2021
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