Champagne Savart x Alexandre Chartogne Éphémère 029 Extra Brut Grand Cru NV

Champagne Savart was established in 2001 when Frédéric Savart stopped delivering his grapes to the cooperative to instead vinify independently. Since 2005, he has run his four-hectare estate alone – becoming one of the most sought-after names among Champagne devotees. The Éphémère project began as a collaborative initiative among friends dedicated to exploring exceptional, often overlooked vineyard sites, with each cuvée numbered and never repeated. For 029, Savart looked beyond his home base in the Montagne de Reims and invited Alexandre Chartogne of Chartogne-Taillet to co-create a wine unlike anything either producer makes solo.

This cuvée draws from Grand Cru parcels on the Côte des Blancs, in the villages of Avize and Cramant – terroirs known for deep chalk soils and optimal southern exposure, ideal conditions for expressing Chardonnay, and considered among the most prestigious sites in Champagne for producing mineral-rich and complex Blanc de Blancs. The wine is 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from a 2022 base vintage, and the two winemakers' signatures show through clearly… Savart's focused, high-energy style meets Chartogne's broader, more textural, earthy interpretation of the site.

The wine benefited from 30 months aging on lees to build complexity and texture, finished as an Extra Brut. The nose shows remarkable intensity, with mineral aromas reminiscent of chalk alongside notes of Anjour pear, lime zest, and a subtle earthy dimension akin to white button mushroom. The palate displays unending depth and volume, with cider apples, Italian cookies, and struck flint granting loads of richness, balanced out with a sizzling hit of acidity. A hyper-limited, highly regarded, and hopelessly charming mash-up from two of Champagne’s most-watched names… this doesn’t happen often! Get a bit while you can.