2012 Champagne Leclerc Briant Château d’Avize

Champagne house Leclerc Briant has purchased the winery and all existing reserve wines of Château d'Avize. Maison Leclerc Briant is 150 years old and has been rejuvenated since 2012 by new owners. They now make the brand new Château d'Avize cuvée, which was first introduced on the market (2022). The cuvée is made by Hervé Jestin, who can be seen as the leading winemaker in Champagne when it comes to biological (-dynamic) viticulture. Jestin is the cellar master of Leclerc Briant and previously worked at Philipponnat and Duval Leroy. Château d'Avize is a 2.5 hectare vineyard in the heart of Avize, in the Côte des Blancs planted entirely with Chardonnay. The fact that Château d'Avize is a château is very rare: there are virtually no châteaux in Champagne: the title can only be used if the winery and wine cellar are located where the vines are located. and so there are only 3 domains in Champagne that are allowed to use the name "Château". This iconic (biodynamic) champagne is only distributed by the Place du Bordeaux. Only affiliated wine companies can buy here, including Grandcru wines. The winemaker is Hervé Jestin, one of the most recognized winemakers in Champagne, specialist in biodynamic viticulture

The 2012 Leclerc Briant Château d'Avize is a 100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard in the Grand Cru Côte des Blancs. 6,000 bottles have been produced and only 5,000 released through Place du Bordeaux and will be available in November 2022. It is a so-called Brut Zero. The champagne has an intense light pale yellow color with deep, pale yellow-green reflections in the glass. On the nose, the château d'Avize 2012 is enchanting and captivating with aromas of coconut, candied lemon, creamy chalk, toasted hazelnut, caramel, butter and toasted bread . On the palate, the champagne has a fleshy and fruity base, supported by fantastic acidity with an intense chalky minerality that lends the salinity and length of the sea to the palate. Perfect with a grilled lobster or foie gras and strawberry chutney

In the tab: Appendix you will find the official fact sheet and an interesting presentation about this famous champagne house.

KEY FACTS

> Tillage - with horses and sheep
> Grasses in the vineyard
> Biodynamic practices
> Ecocert and Demeter certified vineyards
VINIFICATION
> Little or no sulfites during printing
> Native yeasts
> No malolactic fermentation
> No animal protein input at the last step - Vegan
> Long term without intervention
AGING AND DISGORGEMENT
> Few or no reserve wines
> Low sugar content at bottling - fizzes instead of bubbles > Long maturation on the lees - minimum 30 months
> Little or no dosage - 0 to 4 grams per litre
> Little or no sulfur
> Cuvée Abyss - made for underwater maturation at a depth of 60 meters