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‘Minéral’ is consistently Agrapart’s most incisive and archetypal BdB. It is always a wine of (surprise!) persistent minerality; in ’14, this stoniness feels particularly perceptible and essential rather than hidden beneath fruit. I love this preserved lemon character, the fleeting maritime suggestions, and the wonderfully gossamer texture. Classy juice here. - Jason
This is my go-to cuvée from the domaine. It offers fine bubbles, a gorgeous toasty-brioche nose and laser sharp minerality in the palate. The chalky mineral expression is very intense, almost like a salty Chablis. The wine displays nice complex layers of flavor then focus and drive towards a long dry finish. - Daniel
This cuvée straddles the border of Cramant and Avize, with Bionnes in the former and Champ Bouton in the latter each lying just across the village boundary. They both share minimal top soil on top of essentially pure chalk, and from this terroir issues Pascal Agrapart's most bright, energetic and taut cuvée. In 2014 this wine is electric, with grapefruit, lemon and sea spray on the nose and an unbelievably brisk palate. This is racy and pure Champagne. And it is offered at the lowest prices in the US.
If you're unfamiliar with Agrapart: The wines from this domaine in the Cote des Blancs evince a fertile mind with a pioneering and flexible approach. There is no neat reduction or sweeping statement to be made here about single vintages, single vineyards or monovarietals. Across the range the wines are marked by balance and judicious restraint. Fermented in 600L old oak casks, they are not marked by oxidative notes or by overripeness and nor are they bottled at low atmosphere. Here there is no technique for the sake of technique but purposive and experimental work to reveal more of what Champagne is.
- Spencer
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