- white sparkling
- 0 in stock
- Organic
- Biodynamic
- Low Sulfur
- no discounts
Les Basses Croix & Les Gillis is a 100% Chardonnay coming ¾ from the western part of Sermiers and ¼ from eastern Ecueil. The vines are between 36 to 40 years old, growing on sandy clay with the soft limestone very close (with the chalk deeper in Ecueil). These were the first grapes harvested and pressed in that vintage - it was done at Aurélien Lurquin’s winery. Emilien harvested them both for the Champagne and for the Coteaux Champenois. 30 ppm of sulfur dioxide was used at press and that’s it. Both fermentations were spontaneous, happening in 228 liters and 400 liters second-hand Burgundy barrels (mostly from Domaine Leflaive). Aging of the vin clair lasted a little less than a year before tirage. Disgorgement happened in the Fall of 2019 “à la volée”, with no dosage addition. The whole production was three barrels, racked once just before the tirage. One barrel was kept for the Coteaux and aged on the lies for 19 months, unfined and unfiltered. The wine is white gold with a light yellow hue, creamy, long lasting bubbles dancing in a thin string. The nose is more discreet than Totum, yet quite expressive on the peach blossom, lemon paste, yellow plum and discreet notes of freshly baked croissant. On the palate, the tension is remarkable, giving a great spine balancing out the flesh brought by the lees. There is a certain opulence, but right away straightened by the acidity. It is also saltier, with notes of Tahitian pomelo and artemisia. The dynamic between the saltiness and the slight bitterness is really enjoyable, and suggests a lot of potential pairings! In Emilien’s words “mineral maturity or saltiness from the fruit?” Like for the other wines, this cuvée held up very well for a week, being opened and tasted every day. I think also this wine - and all Emilien’s Champagnes - deserve some cellaring but if you want to open it now use a medium size white wine glass. If you open it today, serve it in a larger white wine glass, not too cold, and pair it with a carpaccio of langoustine with caraway-lemon infused olive oil or roasted heritage breed chicken with confit of fennel. 100% Chardonnay. Pascaline Lepeltier.