Agrapart Expérience 2019

This Cuvée Expérience lives up to its name! This Blanc de blancs, made from old Avize Grand Cru vines in the Robards and Bionnes districts, is the ultimate challenge to natural Champagne. Far from the prevailing practices in Champagne, it is made without any eXOgenic inputs. No chaptalization, parcel-by-parcel vinification in demi-muids, and fermentations started solely with indigenous yeasts. But the big breakthrough, after a year in demi-muids, is the addition of grape must from the same vineyard during the following harvest, in place of the liqueur de tirage, to kick-start the Secsecond fermentation in the bottle, the famous prise de mousse. Unfined and unfiltered wines are bottled by hand, using corks and staples. The wines then spend 4 years on their lees, with riddling also carried out by hand, and disgorging 60 days before release to preserve all their natural freshness. No dosage is carried out!

From the very first nose, it's clear that the experiment has been a success. Here, the brilliance and purity of the fruit are irresistible; frank notes of fresh grapes, as well as ripe, juicy white fruit, citrus and lime, are underlined by a chalky minerality. Then the bouquet gradually reveals a beautiful complexity of white flowers, acacia honey, cardamom, marzipan, grapefruit and candied citron, with a hint of truffle.

The palate is suave and saline, vibrating with very ripe, fleshy fruit while retaining a great sense of finesse. What purity, what precision! It's hard to resist the long, saline, gripping, sapid finish. A revelation!

This Brut nature Blanc de Blanc Venus from Maison Agrapart goes perfectly with truffles: white with risotto or black for Brie. But a simple sea bass in a salt crust, or lobster with chanterelle mushrooms and preserved lemon, will make a sublime pairing.