Champagne Lahaye, Cuvée Prestige Blanc de Noirs
Critics reviews
Benoit Lahaye is a small, artisan grower based in Bouzy. At their best, the wines are imbued with the unmistakable personality of Bouzy Pinot.
(Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - Dec 08)
About this WINE
Champagne Lahaye
Benoit and Valérie Lahaye registered their property as fully biodynamic in 2003, quite a big decision in such a marginal climate. Their vines are located over 4.5 hectares in the Grand Cru village of Bouzy in Champagne, nearby Tauxières, and further south in Vertus.
The seriousness of their intent is demonstrated in their champagnes; real vins de terroir of astonishing complexity and depth, their power enhanced by part vinification in oak, their provenance underlined by a regime which combines low dosage and no malolactic fermentation. Despite this, the wines are rich and perfectly balanced, their good levels of acidity harmoniously matched by impressive extract and maturity of fruit.
Brut Champagne
Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.
Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
Pale rose in colour, the nose is astonishingly vivid on this blanc de noirs. Cherry, strawberry, raspberry, honeydew melon, grapefruit and pineapple all leap from the glass. It builds to a rich palate of dark red fruit kept from getting out of control by citrus notes and an etched mineral quality to the fruit, leading to an exhilarating finish.
(Edwin Dublin - London Sales Team)
Blended from 2006 and 2007 and sourced 60% from Bouzy, 20% from Ambonnay and 20% from Tauxières, this predominately Grand Cru Pinot Noir has considerable pedigree. The expected savoury power and spicy glory of the Pinot Noir is complemented by a real complexity and some pleasing surprises, such as the mineral freshness on the palate and the pleasing citric twist on the finish.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
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