Varnier Fanniere Extra Brut "Esprit de Craie" NV

Type: Champagne      Volume: 750ml

Winery: Champagne Varnier Fanniere

Country: France     Region: Champagne

District: Avize

Grapes Varieties: chardonnay

Classification:      Production: 

Alcohol:      Packing: Original Carton of 6 bottles

Ratings and Tasting Notes:

(AG=92) The NV Extra Brut Esprit de Craie is 100% Chardonnay from chalky soils in Avize, Cramant, Grauves and Mancy. Tense and nervous in the glass the Esprit de Craie certainly lives up to its name. Citrus, white pepper, mint, and floral notes are given an extra dimension of salivating brightness in this expressive Champagne. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 18, 2017

(WS=92) Tightly knit and racy, with an overtone of salted almond finely meshed with notes of yellow plum, oyster shell, and pickled ginger, riding the detailed mousse. Disgorged October 2017. Drink now through 2022.

(RP=90) Revisited from the October 2017 disgorgement, Varnier-Fannière's NV Extra Brut Esprit de Craie continues to show well, delivering an inviting bouquet of nougat, preserved lemon, and rock salt. Medium to full-bodied, it's pure and delicate, with ripe but racy acids, elegantly chalky structure, and a nicely defined finish.

From the Winery:

Dosage = 6 g / liter of sugar  The soil of our terroirs of the Côte des Blancs is made up of a thin layer of soil sometimes covering 10 meters of chalk from belemnite fossils (small shells). The roots of our Chardonnay vines must draw very deep water resources and mineral elements essential to their survival. This poverty of our soils produces wines with a magnificent mineral structure. This “Craie Spirit” is made with two of the most chalky plots of our estate. The “Extra Brut” dosage (6 gr / liter of sugar), makes it an ideal wine for the aperitif, with beautiful notes of citrus fruits, green apple and brioche, and always this beautiful minerality at the end of the mouth…