De Venoge Champagne Princes Extra Brut

Region: Champagne

Tasting note:

“This is a Champagne with salty and mineral character, showing chalk and crushed stone with lemon-curd and  strawberry undertones. Full-bodied and tight, with freshness and  intensity. Lightly bitter at the end. Flavorful finish. Best in a long time.” – James Suckling – 94pts

“The NV Princes Extra Brut is a classic blend of one-third Pinot Noir (from Hautvillers and Les Riceys), one-third Chardonnay (from Monthelon and Grauves) and one-third Pinot Meunier (from Chigny). The wine opens with very fine fruit aromas and good freshness on the elegant and well-defined nose. Its is fresh and elegant, very delicate, pure and salty on the palate, with a fine mousse and a long, tight and mineral finish where Chardonnay takes over the driver seat. This is a great aperitif with a long and complex finish, so you can also go on drinking it with first courses. Even after dinner, this is a refreshing picture book Champagne with enormous length. The bottle I tasted (LPR146272EB) is 80% based on 2012 and 20% on 2011/2010 and was disgorged in July 2017 with a dosage of four grams per liter.

Champagne de Venoge’s finest wines come along in carafe-shaped bottles that one might call kitsch, but I like them. They don’t fit in my fridge door, but my fridge is big and the Champagne’s good enough to deserve its own shelf and an upright position. The prestige cuvées Louis XV and Louis d’Or are remarkably elegant and vinous sparkling wines with structure, great complexity and also finesse. The 2006 Brut Rosé is one of the finest you can get, and the 1995 Louis XV is a greatly matured and generous Champagne that is still terribly fresh even though it was disgorged more than ten years ago in 2006. Cellar master Isabelle Tellier is doing a great job; there is not a single disappointing wine in the current portfolio that starts with the easy-drinking Cordon Bleu and offers some sophisticated cuvées in the Princes range. Champage de Venoge is—despite its glorious but volatile history (in terms of frequent changes of ownership)—still an underrated rising star in the Champagne region. Champagne de Venoge is now owned by Lanson-BCC.” – Wine Advocate – 93pts

“This has a fresh, elegant and delicate bouquet with citrussy, herbal and spring flower aromas. It has a vibrant, energetic palate expressing elegant and fresh floral notes. Perfectly balanced and tense on the finish. A blend of 35% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier and 35% Chardonnay. Dosage: 4g/L.” – Decanter – 90pts