Champagne extra brut Quinte Essence 2010

The 2005 Extra Brut Quinte Essence is an elegant and stunningly finessed assemblage of two-thirds Pinot Meunier and one-third Chardonnay. The wine displays an intensely golden-yellow color followed by a deep, intense, beautifully matured, aromatic and complex bouquet of ripe, yellow-fleshed fruits, caramel, bread, brioche and toffee. Full-bodied, round and nutty on the palate, this is a pretty intense but pure, fresh and refined vintage Champagne with remarkable complexity and structure and hazelnut flavors on the finish. Disgorged in September 2017, with no dosage. Tasted April 2018.

Franck Pascal is a former industrial mechanical engineer with agricultural roots who studied viticulture and oenology to become one of the most interesting artisanal Champagne growers in the Vallée de la Marne. He cultivates a highly fragmented seven hectares of vineyards and has followed biodynamic practices since 2002 (certified by Biodyvin in 2005). Franck harvests 60% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, predominantly grown on clay and hard limestone but also silex. Several, especially the steep plots and newly acquired parcels with younger vines, are cultivated by horse. The yields are kept low, and for the vinification (in old wooden vats), only indigenous yeasts are used. The resulting cuvées from Franck Pascal are always dry (disgorged as Brut Nature or Extra Brut), pure, bright, highly finessed and mineral. The annual production is 50,000 bottles. One of the highlights I tasted from the current releases is the 2010 Blanc de Noirs Harmonie, the NV Brut Nature Pacifiance and the NV Rosé Brut Tolérance (which is dosed as Extra Brut).

Published: Aug 31, 2018 by Stephan Reinhardt
* Bewertung eines abweichenden Jahrgangs.