Champagne Alexandra Sainz Millésime Brut Bouzy Grand Cru 2014

Alexandra Sainz grew up helping her mother handpick the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes and going with her father to delicately press the fruit to create the loveliest depictions of Champagne you can imagine. Her fond memories, along with a deeply entrenched family history of growing grapes in Bouzy, led her to not only pursue a viticulture and oenological degree, but also to launch her own winery in 2021. With that, Champagne Alexandra Sainz was born.

The 2014 Millésime comes entirely from Bouzy's chalky, south-facing slopes, and the vintage gave Alexandra plenty to work with. Heavy winter rains gave way to a warm spring and swift, healthy flowering. A cooler, wetter August was rescued by sun-soaked September days and crisp nights that delivered fully ripe, remarkably clean fruit. That interplay of ripeness and freshness is carried throughout the experience of this wine, as it tremendously showcases depth without heaviness, and energy without any edge.

Outstandingly, this wine spent roughly a decade on the lees before release – a degree of aging you simply don't see in $64 bottles. For context, the famous ranks for that kind of extended aging, like Bollinger Grande Année or Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, live comfortably in the $150-$250 range. That long, slow rest is what shields the wine from oxidation while layering in the toasty complexity you'll notice from the first pour. Decanter awarded it 97 points, justifiably praising its complexity, racy acidity, and cascade of dark red fruit.

In the glass, it's a burnished golden yellow, sending up aromas of almond croissant, vanilla paste, cherry blossom, and that unmistakable petrichor (rain on warm earth). The first sip is devilishly smooth, yet completely alive. A potent mousse envelops the mouth with baked apple, lemon tart, pomegranate, lavender, hazelnut, and chalky earth, all of it lively and layered and long. It's sophisticated and full of character and so very enjoyable to the last drop. This is a devastatingly limited showing from a small family grower we've come to adore – and one we're certain you will too. For under $65, it’s also about as wild a deal as you can find on Grand Cru grower Champagne. Don't think too long on it!