NV A Margaine - Brut Traditionelle
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Tasting notes
The NV Champagne Le Brut is a fabulous medium-bodied aperitif, and it pours a brilliant pale yellow hue. It’s pretty and expressive with springy notes of lemon sorbet, fresh pastry cream, white flowers, bread dough, and pear. Delicately fruity and approachable, it offers a subtle yet attractive mousse that floats on the palate, with its pretty notes of fresh pastry dough lingering on the finish. It is a breath of fresh air and would be ideally suited alongside afternoon tea. This release is crafted around the 2022 vintage, with 85% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Noir, with 56% reserve wine from 2021, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2015, and 2012. 7 grams per liter dosage. Drink 2025-2030. A member of the Club Trésors de Champagne (Special Club), A. Margarine is based in the village of Villers-Marmery in the Vallée de la Marne. It is a village uniquely suited to Chardonnay rather than the more common Meunier of the region, as there is a higher proportion of chalk in their soils than that of their neighbors. Annual production is approximately 70,000 bottles from 6.5 hectares of vineyards, primarily located in Villers-Marmery. The vineyard area is comprised of 90% Chardonnay and the remainder Pinot Noir. The majority of the wines for this report were tasted twice: at the Domaine with Mathilde Margaine and her father, Arnaud, and in New York. Mathilde returned to the estate in 2018, but this was my first tasting with her, where she shared her personal experience.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The NV Champagne Cuvée Le Brut was raised in stainless steel and is 93% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with 50% coming from the 2020 harvest and reserve wines spanning from 2014 to 2019. A brilliant silver-straw hue, it is floral and highly perfumed on opening, with notes of quince, honeysuckle, starfruit, and bread dough. An attractive aperitif style, the palate is medium-bodied and elegant, with a lacy texture, an easygoing and juicy nature, and a clean finish. It’s perfect for drinking now or over the next couple of years. Seven grams per liter dosage, and disgorged November 2022. A member of the Club Trésors de Champagne (Special Club), A. Margarine is based in the village of Villers-Marmery in the Vallée de la Marne. It is a village uniquely suited to Chardonnay rather than the more common Meunier of the region, as there is a higher proportion of chalk in their soils than that of their neighbors. Annual production is roughly 70,000 bottles from 6.5 hectares, predominantly within Villers-Marmery, with 90% planted to Chardonnay and the rest to Pinot Noir.
Disgorged in October 2019, Margaine's NV Le Brut Premier Cru delivers notes of white flowers, fresh bread and subtle hints of orchard and citrus fruit. Medium-bodied, pretty and precise, with a delicate core of fruit, brisk acids and a pillowy mousse, it's a charming but somewhat ephemeral bottling that would make a nice aperitif.
The NV Brut Cuvée Le Brut is a beautiful, highly expressive wine. A host of varietal Chardonnay notes fill out the wine's creamy, layered frame effortlessly. A hint of reduction adds nuance without overpowering the fruit. The current release is based on 2014, with reserve wines from 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2009. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2016.