Le Brun-servenay Extra Brut Exhilarante
| Vintage: | 2012 |
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| Description: | "Once again, I was quite taken with the Champagnes of Le Brun Servenay. These are some of the most powerful, structured Blanc de Blancs readers will come across. Best of all the wine are bursting at the seams with personality and character." -Antonio Galloni, Vinous. Le Brun Servenay was created in 1955 when the late Patrick Le Brun's parents were wed joining the Cte des Blancs house of Le Brun in Avize with the Coteaux Sud d'Epernay estate of Servenay, located in the hamlet of Mancy four miles over the hill to the west. This below-the-radar domaine boasts 15 acres of very well-situated Chardonnay vineyards in Cramant, Oger, and (especially) Avize supplemented by four acres of Pinot Noir and Meunier plantings from the crus of Mancy and Grauves. As a young man Patrick Le Brun fought a long, but eventually successful, battle to convince his father to block malolactic fermentations in his Champange's base wines. Patrick ardently believed that malic acid was critical to preserving the grape's natural aromas and flavors as well giving the resultant Champagnes tremendous longevity. Lebrun's mission statement was 'Our purpose is to translate in the glass the elegance and minerality of the terroir of vineyards.' Vibrancy and purity were further in enhanced through vinification in small (20-30hl) stainless steel fermenters and by keeping dosage levels low. Patrick took over full wine making duties in 1992 and ran the estate with this ethos for the next twenty-five years. Tragically Patick Le Brun died in a tractor accident just after the 2017 harvest. Fortunately, for his family and us fans, Patrick's son, Gauthier, was able to step in and become an able steward of his father's brilliant legacy. Cuve Exhilarante is Le Brun Servenay's flagship bottling. It is a masterful, limited production blend of grapes rigorously selected from the family's best old-vine parcels drawn from the entire estate. It is fashioned from 80% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant and Oger (from vines 60-80 years old) and complexed with 10% Pinot Noir (for structure) and 10% Meunier (for fruitiness). After traditional hand riddling this cuve was disgorged in January 2022 after 9 years on the yeast and finished off with a minimal dosage of 4g/l. The firm's previous 2009 Exhilarante was rated 93 Points by Antonio Galloni and this 2012 (which is yet unrated) is even better. We were immediately smitten by its nose which proffers an array of citrus aromas mingled with inflections of sea air and meadow flowers. On the palate one finds an abundance of luminous green apple and pear fruit accented with focused malic acidity set a top a sturdy foundation of textbook Avize chalk. Interestingly the red grapes in the cuvee seem to frame and amplify the Champagne's Chardonnay character while adding depth to the resonate finish. Our staff was bowled over to say the least. This 2012 Exhilarante is simply pitch perfect in every respect and its remarkable freshness points to prodigious bottle aging potential. This old-vine tte de cuve is simply a breath-taking tour de force that compares favorably to prestige Champagnes selling for three times its modest price. If our stock levels permit, this gem will certainly make a great addition to this year's Twelve Champagnes of Christmas roster. |
| Price: | $ 74.95 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from Hi-Time Wine Cellars
| Address: |
250 Ogle Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 United States |
|---|---|
| Telephone (toll-free): | 800-331-3005 |
| Telephone (regular): | 949-650-8463 |
| Fax: | 949-631-6863 |
First added to 1000 Corks on March 29, 2024.
