Alfred Gratien 2007 Brut Millesime

• Can 2007 be that good?
• Gratien still works today like Krug used to.

Alfred Gratien's Brut Millesime 2007 is a cuvée made from 60% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier. It bears the traditional hallmark of the house: the wines are fermented in used oak barrels. Gratien sources its barrels from winemakers in Chablis after they have lost their toasty aromas following four years of Chablis. Alongside Krug, Gratien is the only house that still ferments all its wines in oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is prevented. The yeast is stored under natural cork and is aged for at least 10 years in the Millesime.

The nose reveals aromas of white bread, roasted almonds, candied orange peel and pear compote. It is silky on the palate, becoming fuller in the middle and mineral on the finish. Citrus aromas emerge in the long finish. It is already very attractive, but will continue to develop for years to come.

Richard Juhlin champagneclub.com 94(94) I have only tasted the wine in a nice magnum made entirely on oak barrels so it is possible that my score and experience was even better than it would have been in a regular bottle. Anyway, a lovely experience with a huge aroma and superb caressing and at the same time citrus-fresh taste. I am reminded both of Winston Churchill's pompous notes of heavy pastries and gunpowder smoke and at the same time of the depth and elegance of the tenderly silky fruit embedded in white chocolate that is most often found in Cristal. Great wine that must be one of the foremost this otherwise so neutral year.

750 mL

12.0

Champagne

Pinot Noir & Chardonnay & Pinot Meunier

Sulphites

• Dry

France

Champagne Alfred Gratien, 30 Rue Maurice Cerveaux, 51200 Epernay, France