Non-Vintage

Grapes: 100% Pinot Blanc

Each year, Aurélien Gerbais releases an experimental cuvée. The blend, vineyard origin, and vinification all may vary, but the vintage is indicated by the cuvée N°, this being 18.

This cuvée is made from 100% Pinot Blanc from the 2018 vintage, selective harvest and optimal maturation, where the must is left to macerate with its skins for 12 hours, resulting in greater structural complexity and a unique aromatic expression of Pinot Blanc that is rarely, if ever, seen in Champagne. Vinified in stainless steel tanks and matured for 36 months on its lees before reaching the final disage of 3 g/l--making it an Extra Brut--for a total production of only 1,158 bottles. It presents a deep, sparkling lemon color of incandescent quality on the nose, intensely floral notes drawn on fleshy apricot, pear and citrus pith--wonderfully aromatic and persistent. It opens briskly and then expands into flavors of dried fruit, cream and jam, while flecks of raw almond and minerality bring a crisp dimension to the mid-palate. On the finish it is memorably dry and briny, with a subtle smoky character, incredibly charming and refreshing.