Champagne Agrapart & Fils - TERROIRS Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs MAGNUM 1.5L (12.5% abv)

we only got 1!

Strong and soft spoken, Pascal Agrapart has been working like this since 1984, well before today’s grower Champagne boom. Peter Liem compares his reputation for outstanding Côtes des Blancs wines to that of Anselme Selosse. Farming is intended to sync with natural cycles

UNLIKE MANY OF THE SMALLER GROWER CHAMPAGNE HOUSES THAT HAVE ONLY BEGUN TO ESTATE BOTTLE UNDER THEIR OWN LABELS IN RECENT DECADES, THE AGRAPART FAMILY HAS DONE SO SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE DOMAINE. THE WINERY WAS FOUNDED BY ARTHUR AGRAPART, AND IS NOW RUN BY THE FOURTH GENERATION OF THE FAMILY.

PASCAL AGRAPART, WHO SHARES OWNERSHIP WITH HIS BROTHER FABRICE, IS THE QUIET FORCE BEHIND THIS ESTEEMED PROPERTY. PASCAL LOOKS A BIT LIKE THE ACTOR RUSSELL CROWE, YET HIS DEMEANOR COULDN'T BE MORE DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF A CELEBRITY. HE IS HUMBLE AND SOFT-SPOKEN, WITH THE TALENTS AND WISDOM OF AN EXPERIENCED, IMPASSIONED VIGNERON. WHILE CERTAINLY A "MAN OF THE EARTH" WHO ENJOYS SPENDING TIME IN THE VINEYARDS, PASCAL IS EQUALLY VERSED IN THE TECHNICAL DETAILS OF THE CELLAR, ALLOWING HIM TO EXPLORE AND MASTER HIS CRAFT. WHILE AGRAPART WINES HAVE LONG HAD SOMEWHAT OF AN UNDERGROUND FOLLOWING, IN RECENT YEARS, PASCAL HAS GAINED AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION.

AMBOISE AGRAPART, PASCAL'S OLDEST SON, RECENTLY JOINED HIS FATHER AT THE DOMAINE. TOGETHER THEY MANAGE NINE AND A HALF HECTARES OF PREDOMINANTLY CHARDONNAY VINEYARDS, THE VAST MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE GRAND CRU, IN THE HEART OF THE CÔTE DE BLANCS. TO ENSURE THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY, PRODUCTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN KEPT AT AN ARTISANAL LEVEL, WITH QUANTITIES OF NO MORE THAN 5,400 CASES PRODUCED IN ANY GIVEN YEAR. VINE AGE IS AMONG THE OLDEST IN THE CÔTE DE BLANCS, WITH MANY OF THE AGRAPART’S VINEYARDS IN EXCESS OF SEVENTY YEARS OF AGE, AND THE AVERAGE OVERALL AGE OF THE VINES IS A HEALTHY FORTY YEARS OLD. THE ESTATE HAS ALSO FARMED ORGANICALLY FOR YEARS, BUT HAS NEVER REALLY PUBLICIZED IT.

the critics love this wine: 95 pts James Suckling, 93 pts Wine Advocate, 92 pts Vinous

 blend of têtes de cuvée. The fruit comes from the villages of Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry. A fine, elegant, yet powerfully mineraled Champagne that is textbook blanc de blancs from one of the finest growers in the Côte des Blancs.

Creamy and flavorful, yet it remains precise and vertical, with an array of lemons, green apples, pie crust, almonds, hazelnuts and chalk. Medium-bodied with creamy, fine bubbles. Lots of energy, with zesty citrus notes at the end, seamless and chiseled, evocative of citrus oil, buttered toast, mint and fresh bread.  terrific. Bright and focus, with terrific depth, the Terroirs is a very pretty wine in the more affordable part of this range, so to speak. Citrus, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks and spice are all nicely delineated. There's a very good balance of richness and energy here.

region: Avize, Champagne, France

varietal: Chardonnay

style: sparkling (traditional method)

farming/cellar: organic, Natural yeast fermented; 100% malo; aged sur lie for 3+ years; 25% of wine aged in older 600L casks; manual riddling; 5 gr/l dosage, SO2 < 50 mg/l bottled without fining or filtration Disgorgement: June,2023

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