Alfred Gratien's Brut Millésime 2012 is a champagne marked by a sunny summer and perfect grape ripeness, revealing a vintage as surprising as it is fabulous.
This vintage champagne is blended with a majority of Chardonnay (60%), a quarter of Pinot Noir (25%) and a touch of Pinot Meunier (15%).
Like all our cuvées, this Brut Millésime 2012 is vinified and aged in small 228-liter oak barrels, and malolactic fermentation is blocked to preserve the nature of the grapes and the character of the terroir. The wine is aged under cork to encourage the micro-supply of oxygen necessary for maturation. The wine is blended at 8 g/L.
The wine has a luminous, crystal-clear color, with a calm, fine, regular effervescence.
The nose first suggests yellow fruit with a hint of the exotic, peach and mango, and toasted almond. This fruitiness is quickly complemented by finely spiced notes (thyme, white pepper) and waffle dough. Base notes include honey, stewed fruit and hazelnut.
The attack on the palate is full and pleasant, then quickly replaced by a creamy, vinous sensation. The finish is a perfect extension of the mouthfeel, very long and enhanced by aromas of wakame and black tea. The very last note is tangy.
Alfred Gratien's Cuvée Brut Millésime 2012 is an ideal accompaniment to noble, delicately-fleshed dishes such as sea bass, lean meat, veal fillet or poularde.
