NV Doyard Cuvée Vendémiaire 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

100% Chardonnay out of Côtes de Blancs primarily from Vertus 1er Cru, along with parcels in Le Mesnil sur Oger Grand Cru, Oger Grand Cru, Avize Grand Cru and Cramant Grand Cru. 45+ year old vines in clay and limestone soil. The assemblage of this wine is 50% from 2017, 30% from 2016, and 20% from 2015. 100% estate fruit.

Doyard uses only indigenous yeast, and this wine sees 15% malo. Fermented and aged in 40% older barrels and 60% stainless steel. Aged 42 months on the lees with dosage 4g/l.

This is a staff favorite at Perrine's!

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.