Champagne is incredibly exciting region right now. Over the past fifteen years or so, the Champagne limelight has been wrestled out of the hands of the big brands who just purchase fruit – the Moets and Veuves – and returned to the growers, the families actually farming the vineyards and making wine at an artisanal scale. The growers are pushing Champagne forward and making the most delicious and coveted wines in the region. Although grower Champagne still represents only about 5% of the import market, it's grower Champagne that gets wine geeks, sommeliers, and winemakers most excited. And today we're offering one of the greatest growers of them all, Pascal Agrapart.
Among grower-producers in Champagne, Pascal Agrapart is something of the sage elder. Whereas most grower families have only started bottling and selling wine from their own vineyards in the past few years, the Agraparts were one of the first to do it, back in 1894. Pascal was also one of the first to convert his vineyards to organic farming (still a rarity in Champagne), and the family's long history in the region means that they own Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards exclusively. Their holdings center around Avize and Cramant, recognized as two of the best villages in the world for Chardonnay. The Agrapart vines are some of the oldest in Champagne, with some reaching over 65 years. The Agraparts are determined to stay hands-on with winemaking and never grow beyond 5,000 cases (that might sound like a lot but for comparison, Veuve exports 400,000 cases to the US alone). Along with Pierre Peters and Anselme Selosse, Pascal Agrapart is one of the best practitioners of Chardonnay-based wine in Champagne.
Today we're offering 7 Crus, Pascal's best value wine and one of our favorite Champagnes ever. 7 Crus is made up of Chardonnay from all seven villages in the Côte des Blancs. It may be the "entry level" wine of the estate, but it offers far more complexity and energy than similarly-priced Champagnes from other producers. 7 Crus is a pure expression of the chalky minerality the Côte de Blancs is famed for, akin to great Premier Cru Chablis with bubbles. The best thing about 7 Crus is that it just begs to be drunk. It offers wild complexity – don't hesitate to lay a few bottles down for a few years – alongside the quenching refreshment summertime calls for.
To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside pickup are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500.
Agraparts Blanc des Blancs "7 Crus" NV 750ml
48 Bottles Available
Compare up to $72
Sale Price: $62.99/btl!! BUY NOW
3-Pack Price: $57.99/btl!!
6-Pack Price: $52.99/btl!!
91pts, Vinous Media: "The NV 7 Crus is bright, precise and sculpted, as all of Agrapart Champagnes are. A dollop of Pinot Noir adds richness, but the 7 Crus is now very much in line stylistically with the other wines in the range, which was not the case when this cuvée was first introduced. Citrus, floral and almond notes all resonate in a Champagne that combines Côte des Blanc Chardonnay energy with an extra kick of texture from the Pinot that really comes through on the finish. This release is from the villages of Avize, Oger, Oiry, Cramant, Avenay Val d’Or, Bergères les Vertus and Mardeuil. Dosage: 7 gr/L. "
To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside pickup are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500. |
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