Champagne Domaine Nowack Autre Cru Extra Brut NV

The Nowack family has been around the Champagne region since the 1700s after moving to France from the Czech Republic. Their family craft was not in wine at first, but in an altogether unrelated industry – construction. However, Patriarch Pierre-Fernand Nowack started growing grapes around 1850, and so the Nowack legacy began. Today, seventh-generation vintner, Flavien Nowack, runs winery operations. His fervor has transformed viticultural practices in the Nowack family vineyard, and since 2011, the label has been farming organically and biodynamically. 

Flavien’s wines are more vinous in texture, with less effervescence due to lower atmospheric pressure in the bottle. The Nowacks make many cuvees, and the Autre Cru bottling, translating to “other vineyard,” refers to a classification for Champagne villages that are not designated as either Grand Cru or Premier Cru. This 100% Meunier fruit comes from several small villages along the Marne Valley, outside Flavien’s home village of Vandières. With a base vintage of 2021 and a small amount of ‘20 fruit blended in, vinification occurs with both spontaneous yeasts and a selection of strains from the estate. Aging is done in oak barrels, with a slight 1 gram per liter dosage given, allowing a dry, mineral, almost savory sultriness to develop within the finished wine.

And, my, is the finished wine a delight! Fresh, structured, and beautifully balanced, the nose expresses a lovely conglomeration of lemon zest, green apple, jasmine, and orange blossom – followed up on the palate with dried persimmon, cranberries, lemon meringue, fresh herbs, and toasty brioche taking center stage. A final zip of wet stone and salty crushed seashell come in on the mineral-driven and lengthy finish. This is pure, crisp, and searingly bright, with some angular edges that tend to round out quickly. For the price, the value is borderline unbelievable! You get all of this for only $59 – the lowest price in the country for highly lauded Champagne from a producer who’s been turning heads for centuries now!