We went for a quick booze cruise à velo around the villages of the Côtes des Blancs early last summer, dropping in on small growers Waris-Larmandier in Avize (above) and Paul Lebrun in Cramant (where we toured the cellars with a motorbike club on a slightly more high-octane trip). Waris-Larmandier are imported by a company called French Bubbles, and you can buy them at The Sampler in London. I'm not sure about Lebrun - it doesn't look like you can find them in the UK at the moment. I particularly liked the 2002.
Waris-Larmandier Cuvée Tradition Grand Cru
100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards in Avize. The wines we tried from this house were all about elegance and lightness of touch. There is fresh apple fruit here, with classic young blanc de blancs macaroon and honeysuckle aromas, and a good cut and thrust of citrussy acidity on the palate. It's going for bright and breezy style rather than complex/developed flavours, though these might come with some bottle age.
Paul Lebrun 2002
100% Chardonnay in a slightly riper style, with almost pineappley fruit, icing sugar and bitter almond on the nose. It has quite a generous, forward personality this wine, with lots of lovely stone fruit and a rush of fine acidity on the finish. I really like this, although it is a little unusual.
Paul Lebrun Grande Réserve
100% Chardonnay, here in a more classic blanc de blancs style than the 2002 vintage. Harmonious on the nose with peaches and cream, honeysuckle and caramel biscuits. It has a really attractive flinty coolness too (just a hint of reduction here perhaps). On the palate I find the dosage a little high - there isn't really the concentration of vinous flavour to hold it, so it becomes pithy grapefruit acidity and a lingering floral sweetness. Some may like this more than me though.
No comments:
Post a Comment