CUVÉE LES AVENTURES
GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS
In Praise of Chardonnay
The Passion of Tradition
The Taste of Authenticity
A Terroir Revealed
The name of this Cuvée – “Les Aventures” – comes
from a hamlet located in the Chouilly area, the prestigious village in
the Côte des Blancs classed as a Grand Cru, at the foot of the
Château de Saran. Here there is half a hectare of vines offering
Chardonnays of exceptional quality, the secret of which lies in the particular
chalky nature of the soil.
The blends are made by selecting the wines from the very best harvests
with complementary characteristics. The cuvée currently on sale
is a blend of the 1996 harvest, for its unrivalled elegance, 2000
for its finesse, and 2002 for its richness and balance.
Because the quest for perfection means making uncompromising choices,
only 2,000 bottles are sold each year. It is thus a very exclusive cuvée
which will only get better with time.
These bottles have aged for many years in our 18th-century chalk cellars
with the traditional “stapled” corks. The ambient humidity,
a particularity of the rare cellars to have been dug out of chalk, makes
the cork porous, thereby allowing an exchange between the air and the
wine and thus a very special form of ageing that may vary slightly from
bottle to bottle.
The bottle you buy has been numbered to identify it.
Like the bottling, the riddling and disgorging operations are done by hand, thus respecting the traditions of our ancestors.
The authenticity of the terroir and the purity of this great wine are reflected in the very sparse, pure, sober presentation. In line with the principles that have guided the making of this cuvée, the superfluous is banished from the label to leave nothing but the essential.
VISUAL ASPECT : A radiant golden-yellow colour with dense, ethereal foam and very fine bubbles.
NOSE : A tender attack with a slight hint of wood blending nicely into the great aromatic complexity. White/yellow/exotic fruit (apple, pear, peach, quince and apricot), citrus fruit (lemon and grapefruit), dried fruit (hazelnut and almond), blossom (honeysuckle, peony), infusions (lime, camomile, verbena), plants (ginger, jasmine), plums in eau de vie, confectionery (rhubarb, caramel), spices (cinnamon, vanilla and white pepper) and underwood.
ON THE PALATE : The attack is delicious and heady, providing a mirror image of the bouquet in its flavours. The heady/fresh contrast is amplified on the palate, endowing the wine with extraordinary length and great elegance.
.SERVING SUGGESTIONS : Remove the capsule and delicately cut the string surrounding the cork. This is a rare ritual nowadays. This elegantly heady wine makes the perfect aperitif, and will also be superb with pan-fried scallops in Sauternes, quail with mandarine orange or turbot with wild mushrooms.
Ideally should be tasted at cellar temperature (11 °C). Do not hesitate to put it into a carafe.
Available in bottles. Sold by the unit, in numbered packs.
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