Champagne André Robert Blanc de Blancs Les Horizons Grand Cru Extra Brut NV

The fifth generation of the Robert family, Claire, alongside her partner, Jean-Baptiste Denizart, stands firmly at the helm of André Robert Champagne today. When our Last Bubbles team had the opportunity to visit the property, Jean-Baptiste personally toured us through their winery, and we found him to be incredibly knowledgeable, exceptionally precise, and utterly, pervasively charming. He smiles constantly, even when accidentally revealing secrets – like the knowledge of what famous house buys their “leftover” wine that doesn’t pass muster into their own bottling. (He later swore us to secrecy on that count… but trust me, you’d know this house.)

This cuvée is based on the 2018 vintage, with 20% of a 2017 reserve wine from the Premier Cru site of Cuis, just south of Epernay. The rest of the fruit hails from Étréchy and Vitry – also Premier Cru villages nearby – with the finishing touch (and signature André Robert style) being granted from the family holdings of some of the best plots of the hallowed Grand Cru site of Le Mesnil. After 10 months aging of the base wine in both vat and barrels, the wine spends over 4 years in bottle on the lees before a judicious dosage of 3 grams.

The Extra Brut offering perfectly harmonizes the opulence and weight of the oak barrel influence and ripe orchard fruits with the zip, crunch, and intensity of these chalky, cool sites. Expect a heady and powerful entry of sourdough bread, toasted almonds, and golden pears, followed by green apples, preserved lemons, salted plums, and an uplifting and creamy orange-scented meringue. On the thoughtful and complex finish, you’ll note tarragon, chervil, and saltwater taffy, culminating with a warm and rocky minerality that allows this to linger endlessly. This is a bold, powerful, intense, and immensely pleasing Champagne that will easily compete with the larger house offerings at two or three times the price! This is certainly a wine to procure as much as you possibly can!