Tasting Notes
Disgorged June 2022. Minéral is blended from two adjacent vieilles vignes plots (50-plus years old) on the border between Avize and Cramant, where the vine roots plunge straight into the chalky bedrock. The fruit from Le Champ Bouton in Avize was fermented in tank, while the component from Les Bionnes in Cramant was vinified in 600-litre oak casks. The wine spent just over five years on lees and was dosed at three grams per litre.
This is typically the saltiest, most mineral wine in the Agrapart range. Like all the Agrapart wines the quality is remarkably consistent, with the only variation due to vintage. The 2016 spent just over five years on lees and was dosed at three grams per litre. The notes below tell you everything you need to know.
“From Les Bionnes in Cramant (vinified in barrel) and Champbouton in Avize (vinified in tank), two parcels that share a similar geological profile, Agrapart's 2016 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Minéral offers up aromas of crisp stone fruits, wet stones, lemon oil and fresh mint. Full-bodied, satiny and vinous, with terrific texture and cut, it's a vibrant, dynamic wine that's worth a special effort to seek out.” 95+ points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
“Sharp and focused with very fine bubbles. Precise. Lots of almonds, lemon peel, crushed stones, white pepper and apricot stones, as well as white pears. This has captured so much energy, with a long and refined finish.” 96 points, James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com
In the heart of the Côte des Blancs, in the village of Avize, Pascal Agrapart carefully tends his vines in one of the 70 (!) micro plots that he grows. His 10 or so hectares of vines are scattered mostly throughout Avize, but with small holdings in Cramant, Oiry and Oger as well - all classified Grand Cru.
Pascal is a proud grower-producer, relying on his own natural viticulture and grapes, rather than buying in fruit from elsewhere. In this way he controls every step of the process, choosing to farm organically with no pesticides or herbicides used, and the rows ploughed by horse. The grapes are, of course, all harvested by hand. His vines are some of the oldest in the Côte des Blancs with the majority over 40 years of age and naturally low-yielding.
Originally established in 1894 by Pascal's grandfather, the estate was managed by Pascal's father from the 1950s, until 1984 when Pascal himself took over. The wines have never been better, and Agrapart was recently awarded the coveted Trois Etoiles (three stars) by La Revue du Vin de France. To put this in perspective, there are only 9 Champagne houses that hold this honour, and Pascal is among the esteemed company of houses such as Selosse, Krug, and Egly-Ouriet.
The wines of Agrapart are typified by an intensity and precision that sets them apart from some of the houses making richer, fuller styles. Pascal picks earlier, uses larger, older wood and bottles earlier, resulting in wines that are less influenced by oxygen. In the winery, Pascal vinifies using natural yeasts, emphasising the truest expression of his terroir. Dosage, which is done with a traditional liqueur d'expédition of cane sugar, varies from wine to wine, although it is usually around 3 or 4 g/L, showcasing the exceptional precision and linear focus of his Champagnes.
| Product Type | Wine Sparkling Champagne |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Sub Region | Avize |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |