The De Venoge Cordon Bleu Extra Brut is a champagne with a very low dosage. The dosage, the sweet liqueur added at the final stage of winemaking, is kept especially discreet here.
Created in 1851, the Cordon Bleu is the emblem of the House. It nods to the river Venoge and to the Order of the Holy Spirit, the most prestigious order of chivalry of the French monarchy.
This is a cuvée built around citrus, orchard fruit and a hint of white blossom, with a poised, tightly drawn texture. Serve it as an aperitif with cheese gougères, say, and bring it back to the table alongside seared scallops.
The Terroir
The Cordon Bleu Extra Brut is a blend of the three historic grape varieties of Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
All three come from Champagne, and it is the House of De Venoge that brings them together in this cuvée.
The vinification
Isabelle Tellier, cellar master at the House of De Venoge, chose to vinify the Cordon Bleu in stainless steel tanks. This neutral vessel adds no flavour of its own: it preserves freshness and lets a clean, precise fruit character come through in the blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier.
Malolactic fermentation (the conversion of the wine's sharp malic acidity into softer lactic acidity) was allowed to run its full course. It rounds off the acidity and brings a velvety feel to the palate.
The dosage (the small amount of sweet liqueur added just before the final cork is fitted) is 3.5 g/L, which places the cuvée in the Extra Brut category. This tiny addition lends a touch of roundness and balances the whole, without masking the wine's freshness.
A non-vintage cuvée
The Cordon Bleu Extra Brut is not the product of a single harvest: De Venoge has chosen to bring together several years. Each vintage has its own character, some sunnier, some more taut, and that is precisely what the blend sets out to balance.
To achieve this, the House draws on its reserve wines (wines from previous harvests, kept in the cellar for this purpose). They are blended with the wines of the current year to smooth out the differences between vintages. The result: the cuvée keeps the same face from one bottle to the next, the one you loved the first time. Whatever the weather of a given year, you find the De Venoge house style every time you buy.
