Champagne Alfred Gratien - Cuvée Paradis 2006

Bettane & Desseauve

About wine:

Ample, refined, beautiful texture, citrus and minerality, racy depth.

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

About wine:

Crowned last year, this prestigious cuvée, blending two-thirds Chardonnay and one-third Pinot Noir and aged for seven years on slats, continues to hold its own. We love its buttery, compote-like nose and its lively palate with lovely roasted notes.

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).

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About wine:

The precision of this cuvée is remarkable. Resplendent floral freshness. From the attack to the finish. This cuvée is light and unfolds with finesse.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

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.