Champagne Alexandra Sainz Millésime Brut Bouzy Grand Cru 2013

Champagne devotees will know the name Clouet – it’s Alexandra Sainz’s maiden name and synonymous with Bouzy’s Grand Cru brilliance since 1741. Carrying her family’s torch into a new generation, Alexandra upholds the Clouet legacy of staunch craftsmanship and grower-first philosophy while adding her own modern flair. The result? The exquisite 96 point 2013 Millésime Brut – aged an extraordinary nine years on the lees and priced at just $59, with the kind of depth and pedigree you’d expect from bottles two or three times the price.

Alexandra Sainz grew up among the vines of Bouzy, helping her mother handpick the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes and accompanying her father during the delicate pressings that create the loveliest depictions of Champagne you can imagine. Those early exposures, steeped in family tradition, led her to pursue a degree in viticulture and oenology – and eventually, to create her own label in 2021. Thus, Champagne Alexandra Sainz was born.

Alexandra’s Millésime 2013 hails entirely from the Grand Cru village of Bouzy, where the chalky soils and southeast-facing slopes (up to 15%) nurture extraordinary fruit. The 2013 vintage was one for the books, with a snowy winter, cool spring, tempestuous June, and sun-drenched summer culminating in a late harvest. Despite the drama, the resulting wines have proven to be among the most elegant, expressive, and age-worthy in recent memory.

This wine spent an astounding nine years resting on its lees – nearly unheard of for a Champagne priced at just $59. To put it in perspective, similar aging regimens are found in icons like Bollinger’s La Grande Année ($150+) and Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle ($250+). Yet Alexandra’s offering delivers that same depth and finesse for a stunning fraction of the price.

The long lees time preserves the fresh fruit notes while also picking up some delightful lees aromatics like brioche and salty parmesan rind before rounded notes of bruised yellow apples, baked pears, and chalky earth percolating from the glass. Intensely crisp flavors follow: bright citrus fruits, green apple, white truffle oil, baking spices, hazelnut, fresh whipped cream, and a woodsy sensation that’s all at once warming and edged with minerality. With only 2,667 bottles ever produced, only a handful still exist anywhere in the world, and we have but a few cases left in our trusty warehouse just waiting to make their way to your door. This is an entirely captivating, devastatingly limited showing from a small family grower that we are certainly impressed by, and know you will be too!