Champagne Brut Cordon Bleu NV 150cl

The NV Cordon Bleu Brut is a classic De Venoge assemblage of 50% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Meunier from roughly 20 different villages. This sample is based on the 2013 vintage (75%) and includes 15% of 2012 and 10% of 2011 (disgorged in January 2017; dosage of 7.8 grams per liter). Intense brioche and delicate chalky aromas flavor the fine and elegant bouquet. On the palate, this is a round, fresh and well-balanced Champagne with a tight structure and and impressive length. There is even a certain salinity that makes this Brut a first class aperitif and at a very good price point. Tasted November 2017.<br/>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.

Mouthwatering, with intense, racy acidity, this offers a focused, finely detailed mousse and flavors of juicy Jonagold apple, mirabelle plum, lemon zest and grated ginger, with hints of wax, honey and dry biscuit. Offers a lasting, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2018. 4,150 cases made.  –AN<br/>