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Champagne André Robert Blanc de Blancs Terre du Mesnil Brut Grand Cru 2017 Wine - Last Bottle

Champagne André Robert Blanc de Blancs Terre du Mesnil Brut Grand Cru 2017

Perhaps one of my favorite new Champagne finds is André Robert. And this 95-point vintage cuvee is off-the-charts delicious!

$99
$140

Retail

29
Flavor Profile: Den apples, brioche toast, honey butter, almond slivers, caramelized pineapple, vanilla, and salty ocean air
Time on Lees: 60 months
Disgorgement Date: December 2022
Dosage: 2 g/L
Score: TP95

Why We Love It...

The Côte des Blancs is chock full (or, to be cheeky, chalk full) of fabulous villages that produce some of the world’s greatest Champagnes. One of those villages is Le Mesnil, the home of Champagne greats Salon, Delamotte, and Krug’s esteemed single vineyard Champagne, Clos du Mesnil. But it’s also home to another grower great – André Robert. However, unlike those other Champagnes mentioned, André Robert’s wines don’t cost an arm and a leg, but the quality is just as high, if not higher. Now is the perfect time to try one of my all-time favorite Champagne finds from an excellent vintage.

The village of Le Mesnil sur Oger sits entirely upon east-facing slopes, thickly sheltered by forestland on the hills above – allowing chardonnay to slowly ripen, never sacrificing the elegant, high-toned aromatics or the piercing acidity for which these wines are so prized. Aptly named “Terre du Mesnil” or “land of Mesnil,” this 100% chardonnay showcases the spectacularity of this land with nuance, grace, and finesse.

The fourth generation of the Robert family, Bertrand, still assists alongside his wife, Colette – but it is his daughter, Clare, and her husband, Jean-Baptiste Denizart, who are taking this great estate to unimaginable new heights. Clare came on in 2013, with Jean-Baptiste following soon after. Together, they have struck an admirable balance – between carrying on the traditions of her great-great-grandfather Henri (who began farming the land just after World War I), and the modern farming and winemaking advances available today. Though far removed from the wine's first home in the hand-carved chalk cellars forged by the Robert forebears, there is something in these wines that almost magically connects each sip to the family’s history – as if you can taste a piece of their home even from thousands of miles away.

The estate’s holdings are spread among 14 hectares in mostly Grand and Premier Cru plots – mostly centered around Le Mesnil’s historic village. Though they grow all three noble varieties of chardonnay, meunier, and pinot noir, it’s chardonnay where they hang their hat. Terre du Mesnil is 100% chardonnay – all fermented in separate lots, and meticulously aged in 228-liter oak barrels for the vin clair. After several months, the wine is bottled and aged on the lees for a further 60 months, before a finishing dosage of a scant 2 grams per liter – just enough to accentuate the bright mineral tones and fresh, exotic fruit flavors. The end result is something incredibly textured and creamy, perfumed and zippy, with golden apples, brioche toast with honey butter, and nutty, toasted almond slivers. An exotic air of caramelized pineapple lingers on the finish, with some subdued vanilla, and an onrush of salty ocean air brings this all to a pleasing close. It is simply brilliant and elegant, with power, depth, and incomparable freshness. Without question, this is one of the most fantastically penetrating, intensely pleasing, and vinously beguiling Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs anywhere! Worthy of collection, undoubtedly, and a singular bottle that I’ll put against anything in this price range. 

Scores

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Technical Details

Country: France
Region: Champagne
Appellation: Côte des Blancs
Varietal: Chardonnay
Winemaker: Claire Robert and Jean-Baptiste Denizart
Oak: 100% Barrel Fermented and aged for 10 months on the lees
Alcohol: 12%
Pair it with: Grilled Tuna Steaks

About the Producer

The story of André Robert Champagne goes back five generations, rooted in the chalk-rich, grand cru soils of Le Mesnil sur Oger. Henri Robert was a pioneer in the village, organizing its first growers’ association. His son, the eponymous André, purchased the estate house under which a handcarved, 19th-century cellar now ages the family’s complex, barrel-aged wines. Bertrand Robert, his wife Colette and daughter, Claire, together tend sustainably some 35 acres of grand and premier cru terroir in the Côte des Blancs, a true grower-producer family dedicated to the elegant and expressive character of pure Mesnil Champagne.

Champagne André Robert Blanc de Blancs Terre du Mesnil Brut Grand Cru 2017

$99
$140

Retail

29

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