2006 Varnier Fanniere Grand Brut

(made from fruit grown in Cramant and Avize, mostly from old vines; aged on its lees for six years and disgorged in March of 2013): Light yellow-gold. Deeply pitched poached pear, tangerine, hazelnut and truffle scents, along with smoke and mineral nuances that build with air. Rich, weighty and broad but surprisingly vivacious, offering powerful orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a hint of marzipan. Closes smooth and very long, with serious punch and a lingering note of toasty, buttery brioche.

The Varnier-Fanniere 2006 Brut Grand Vintage – from old vines half each from Avize and Cramant – is scented with sea breeze and sourdough yeastiness, but also harbors a slightly disturbingly acrid suggestion of green walnut husk. Refined in texture yet incisive in its combination of zesty citrus and piquant nuttiness – not to mention impressively persistent – it fails for now at least to offer the sheer juiciness or nuanced complexity of the Cuvee Saint Denis tasted alongside. The bottle from which I sampled this had been disgorged since March; still, it may well need more time. Denis Varnier farms only ten acres of vines but is clearly meticulous and inventive in his efforts to express their potential, which given a high percentage of unusually old vines in the “grand cru” terroirs of Avize and Cramant (with smaller holdings in Oger, and Oiry) should indeed be formidable. Varnier aims for lower-than-usual pressure; he micro-oxygenates his base wines as a means to inter alia reduce the use of sulfur; and he lets them undergo malo-lactic transformation, all techniques that tend toward promoting silken or creamy textures. But the wines I tasted are far from cuddly, displaying plenty of energy and refreshment and in some instances even an austere expression of things mineral. With the exception of the 8% of red wine from Ambonnay purchased to created his rose – which on this occasion I found surprisingly blurry and simple – all of Denis Varnier’s wines are exclusively Chardonnay; but for whatever reason – and although the word “Grand Cru” always appears there – he does not denote “Blanc de Blancs” on their labels. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300