Champagne Alfred Gratien - Brut
Cité
Hachette
14,5/20
RVF
16/20
Bettane & Desseauve
“ With a lovely character, this Brut—a blend dominated by Chardonnay—offers a palate that is both supple and lively on the finish . A beautifully balanced wine.” (Le Meilleur Guide des Vins de France 2019)
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Eye
Light golden color. Very effervescent, long-lasting head.
Nose
Aromas of citrus, mango, peach, and apricot
Palate
A beautiful balance between aromatic intensity and the freshness of exotic fruits
Serve
At 8-10°C
Drink from
2019
Drink before
2022
Food and wine pairings
Pairs well with a selection of hard cheeses, a seafood platter...
Bettane & Desseauve
Wine rated (2018 guide) 16/20 (Very good wine)
Rated estate (2019 guide): 4* Stars (Producers of the very highest quality, the pride of French viticulture)
About the wine:
Beautifully dense, full-bodied, lively, and intense, with a lovely finish, vinous, and featuring enticing citrus and mineral notes.
About the estate:
Small in vineyard area (less than 2 hectares) but great in quality, this unassuming house—owned by the same proprietors as Gratien-Meyer (Crémant de Loire)—has the appealing character of a sure bet. Vinification takes place exclusively in barrels, and malolactic fermentation is halted to preserve the wine’s liveliness. This is the quintessential champagne for connoisseurs. 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—winey and intense—is actually still very young, but one must tip one’s hat to a 2008 Paradis that will go down in history. The 2007 Paradis Rosé also shines!
Guide Hachette des vins
Wine rated (2019 guide) Mentioned (Successful wine)
Rated estate (2019 guide) Award-winning wines (This producer’s wines regularly receive awards from the guide)
About the estate:
A house 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 his name to work for the brand and uphold its traditions (no malolactic fermentation, aging of the 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
Wine rated (2019 guide) 14,5/20 (Good wine)
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 wine:
With its lovely character, this Brut—a blend dominated by Chardonnay—offers a palate that is both supple and lively on the finish. A beautifully balanced wine.
About the estate:
This low-key house, which continues to age its base wines in barrels—producing dynamic, complex champagnes with a predominance of Chardonnay—has been owned since 2000, like its parent company Gratien-Meyer in Saumur, by a major sparkling wine group based in Wiesbaden, Germany. In historic buildings in the center of Épernay, cellar master Nicolas Jaeger, who took over from his father and grandfather, perfects an artisanal method of champagne production, gradually streamlined but still limited in volume. Nearly all of his grapes are sourced within a 40-kilometer radius of Épernay, used to create champagnes that soften and add complexity to their naturally high acidity (since malolactic fermentation is blocked) through barrel aging. Vintage wines are aged in the cellar under cork. The proportion of Meunier has decreased in recent blends in favor of Pinot Noir.