Philippe and Véronique Glavier have managed this small estate in the Grand Cru village of Cramant since 1995. While both hail from long-time Champagne families who crafted their own wines – they’ve built up this domaine essentially from scratch. Philippe shared that during his first ever harvest, he had no money for a press, and had to beg Veronique’s father to use theirs. Philippe couldn’t pay the custom crush fees, and his father’s press was booked through the long day, and for several days to come. And so he said to Phillipe, “You may not be rich, but you are young. You can work through the night.” Therefore, long after every other vigneron had gone home for the day, Philippe stayed through the night running his first grapes through the press all by himself. Tired but undeterred, he fought for their dream, and continues to do so today. And he is winning! 

This Champagne is named La Grâce d'Alphaël after the angel of knowledge – and scoring some of this beauty certainly showcases bubbly wisdom of the highest caliber, without a doubt. The wines here make use of a carefully managed reserve wine, one that goes all the way back to their first vintage – 30 years ago! Over the years, they’ve built their holdings to a total of 4.5 hectares – with 52 different micro-plots in Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil. Each plot is farmed separately, and vinified by village, with press fractions separated out even further. They use only the free-run juice and first pressing (called the cuvée) for their Champagnes, selling off most of the later, harsher and fruitier press juice to the local distillery in Cramant, while keeping a small bit that they keep to make their own delicious Ratafia spirit. 

This 100% chardonnay has a 56% base of the 2021 vintage, with the remainder composed of the estate reserve wine. With 22 months on the lees for structural integration, and a new disgorgement in July of 2023, this fresh and vibrant bottling is ready to fly! It’s a blend of chardonnay from all of their Côte des Blancs holdings, predominantly Le Mesnil at 34%, then Cramant, followed by Oger, and Avize. Powerful yet elegant, intense yet subtle – this is the perfect expression of intense, mineral-driven Blanc de Blancs!

The bouquet in this “angel of knowledge” cuvee is practically three-dimensional, lively, and opulent, with toasted almonds, orange blossoms, and roasted red apples – all framed by that warming, autolytic yeastiness. The mouthfeel is round and viscous to match, but with an uplifting and bright acidity that sparkles with neverending freshness. Tangerine oil, Earl Grey tea, green apples, lemon cream, and Ruby Red grapefruit, accented by spice notes of clove and toasty barrel and finished with this sweet orange creamsicle finish. It’s clean and ample throughout – offering tons of pleasure and complexity for a rather exceptional price! Half bottles always fly around these parts, and with the holidays here – expect this to be gone in a pop and a flash!