Champagne Alfred Gratien - Cuvée Paradis 2006

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Full-bodied, refined, with a beautiful texture, citrus and mineral notes, and a racy depth.

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

About the wine:

Awarded last year, this prestigious cuvée—a blend of two-thirds Chardonnay and one-third Pinot Noir that aged for seven years on the lees—remains as impressive as ever. We love its buttery, compote-like aroma and its palate, which features lovely roasted notes and remains lively.

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).

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the wine:

The precision of this cuvée is remarkable. It boasts a radiant floral freshness from the first sip to the very last. This cuvée is light and airy, unfolding with great 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 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.