Champagne Paul Déthune Blanc de Noirs Les Crayeres Extra Brut Grand Cru 2016
Champagne Paul Déthune is Ambonnay royalty – the family has been around since 1610! This 94 point 2016 vintage from the iconic Les Crayères site is perhaps one of the Champagne's best in recent memory!

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Why We Love It...
The Déthune name is gold in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay. They’ve been growing grapes in the region since the 1600s, and are the second-oldest family in Ambonnay. They know a thing or two about grape growing, and pinot noir in general, and their cuvees, including the Les Crayères Extra Brut, tastes like the royalty they are.
Les Crayères is a revered site of 50+ year old vines, and aptly named after the soil content upon which it sits. Limestone and chalk are the hallowed base of this cuvée’s vines, and therefore, it’s a mineral-driven beauty with all of the best characteristics of a great Champagne. All in all, it is a perfect marriage that expresses the 1.5-hectare plot of old vines flawlessly – perhaps even better than Egly-Ouriet’s bottling from this same site that sells in the $500 range. Just saying – at our exceptional price – this is a steal! A judicious use of liqueur d’expedition (dosage) at only 5 grams per liter ensures that the brilliance of the wine shines, not the makeup that might mask its flavors and textures. With 56 months on the lees – that’s nearly 6 years for anyone who’s math-averse – it’s got a richness that’s as sultry and sexy as any pinot noir Champagne you’ve ever tasted!
This wine is 100% pinot noir, aged in 205-liter Champagne barrels and bottled without filtration. Powerfully rich, impressively intense, and playfully elegant, this Champagne is exceptional even in its youth, but there is no denying it – the best years are yet to come! Enticing aromas of cherry blossoms, rose water, lime leaf, and fresh-from-the-oven brioche saunter out the glass (and speaking of glass – definitely opt for the wide-mouthed Burgundy bowls on this one, friends). The bubbles explode on the tongue – revealing flavors of Pink Lady apples, jasmine tea with a squeeze of lemon, saltwater taffy, and sushi ginger, all with this tingly vein of chipped river rocks throughout. It has a complex and powerful finish that goes on, and on, seemingly forever!
** (Side note: the word “crayère” means chalk pit and is a common term throughout Reims, so beware of cheaper look-alikes that don’t actually hail from this tiny Grand Cru site)! **
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Paul Déthune Champagne
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