2019 Doyard Champagne Grand Cru “Œil de Perdrix” Extra Brut, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

This cuvée traces its origins and name back to ancient times (the 18th and early 19th centuries). The impossibility of artificially "decolorizing" the juice of black grapes led to the production of a Champagne with a color marked by an "eye." This referred to a Champagne with a slight pink tint, like a partridge's eye. This is a pressed rosé: an authentic Champagne, combining freshness, elegance, vinosity, and length, with a complex nose, pleasantly imbued with aromas of red fruit.

This champagne is a blend of two grape varieties: 25% Chardonnay from Avize, and 75% Pinot Noir from Aÿ. The first pressing of the must is used for the Chardonnay, along with the first and second pressings for the Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir is vinified in barrels that have held at least 5 wines. No chaptalization (natural alcohol content), and no malolactic fermentation. The champagne is extra brut with a dosage of 3 g of sugar/L.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Doyard family traces their winemaking roots in Champagne back to 1677 when a marriage license of Jean-Baptise Doyard showed “winegrower” as the occupation. Maurice Doyard was the first in the family to make wine in Vertus under the Doyard label in 1927, officially signifying the domaine’s foundation. In 1979, Yannick Doyard took over, turning it into a beacon for precise, vinous, mineral-etched Champagne in the Côtes des Blancs.

Today, Yannick’s son Guillaume is at the helm, farming 10 ha of prime vineyards in Vertus and the Grand Cru villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Oger, Avize and Aÿ. The domaine employs organic farming in the vines, with most of the vineyards worked by horse. Yields are kept very low, adding to the concentrated intensity that defines the estate’s style. In the cellar, state of the art double-banked Coquard PAI presses are employed to get the cleanest and most delicate juice possible and every parcel is vinified separately in barrel. All of the wines undergo very long lees aging before disgorgement — a minimum of 48 months on all cuvées — which truly sets them apart from much of Champagne and is a key component to achieve the incredible complexity and depth that is found throughout their magnificent lineup.