Champagne Grand Cru brut Rive Gauche / Rive Droite 2015

With a delicate, elegant bouquet of spices, walnuts, white fruits and spring flowers, the 2016 Extra-Brut Grand Cru Rive Gauche – Rive Droite is medium to full-bodied and layered, with a deep core of fruit and a vinous, fresh texture, concluding with a long, ethereal finish. Crafted from equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it was vinified and matured in barrels with no filtration and was disgorged with a dosage of three grams per liter.

Jean-Claude Hébrart leads the house founded by his father, who bottled his first Champagnes in 1962 with just three barrels of production. Now, Jean-Claude manages 17 hectares of vineyards spread across 80 parcels in 11 different villages, with the majority of the vineyards located in Aÿ. He sources grapes for 25% of the production. Hébrart practices precise viticulture, using the Chablis pruning method (which he believes benefits the Chardonnay), working the soils and tillage between rows throughout the estate, and avoiding sowing. His Champagnes showcase vinous, incisive and saline textures, focusing on bright, crystalline characters.

Published: Oct 24, 2024 by Yohan Castaing
* Bewertung eines abweichenden Jahrgangs.

"A bright yellow hue, the 2016 Champagne Grand Cru Rive Gauche-Rive Droite Brut is equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and offers expressive notes of toast, graham cracker, orange peel, and white peach. Leaning toward full-bodied, it expands through the palate with richness as well as fully dry purity. It has a crystalline feel while its oak also adds a more yellow floral note of chamomile and savory broth which should amplify as it ages. Drink over the coming 10-15 years. Disgorged February 2021.

Date: 12/20/2024, reviewed by Audrey Frick "
* Bewertung eines abweichenden Jahrgangs.