The Carte d'Or Grand Cru cuvée from the Cazals house, presented here in a half-bottle, is a Blanc de Blancs champagne with unique intensity and purity. It is the perfect champagne for an aperitif, with remarkable freshness and liveliness.
The Cazals house is located in Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the most renowned villages in the Côte des Blancs. World-famous houses such as Salon and Delamotte were founded in this village, and all the great houses have vineyards here. The vineyards located in the village of Mesnil-sur-Oger and the neighboring village of Oger are unique in that they are very chalky, producing grapes with a lively character and wines that often need to be aged for a few years to soften their vigor and reveal their full potential.
Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger are classified as Grand Cru, the highest level of the Champagne appellation. Only 17 villages are classified as Grand Cru.
The Carte d'Or Grand Cru cuvée is a Blanc de Blancs champagne, meaning that only Chardonnay grapes are used. This Chardonnay, which comes from Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, is vinified in stainless steel vats to preserve maximum freshness and liveliness. The Carte d'Or Grand Cru cuvée is then aged for three years in the house's chalk cellars, which maintain a constant, ideal temperature.
This champagne is dosed Brut, at 8g/l, which brings out the citrus and pastry aromas.
The Carte d'Or Grand Cru cuvée has a golden color with slightly green highlights. Its bubbles are very fine and extremely lively.
On the nose, it is a very elegant, very refined champagne, offering notes of citrus (lemon, yuzu, grapefruit, etc.), then evolving over time towards rounder, slightly spicy aromas (vanilla, white pepper, etc.).
On the palate, this cuvée has a lively, energetic attack, followed by a light, delicate mouthfeel. The finish lingers for several seconds with a hint of lemon and beautiful bitter notes.
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