2013 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 by new owners since 2012. With this they now make the brand new cuvée Château d'Avize, which was first launched on the market in 2022. The cuvée was made by Hervé Jestin, who can be seen as the leading winemaker in Champagne when it comes to bio(-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, entirely planted 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 the wine cellar are located where the vines are. 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 from this, including Grandcru wines. The winemaker is Hervé Jestin, one of the most recognized winemakers in Champagne, specialist in biodynamic viticulture.

The Leclerc Briant Château d'Avize 2013 is a 100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard in the Grand Cru Côte des Blancs. It is a so-called Brut Zero. The champagne has an intense light pale yellow color with deep, light yellow-green reflections in the glass. On the nose, the château d'Avize 2013 is enchanting and captivating with aromas of coconut, candied lemon, creamy chalk, roasted hazelnut, caramel, butter and toasted bread . On the palate the champagne has a meaty and fruity base, supported by fantastic acidity with an intense chalky minerality that lends salinity and length of the sea to the palate. Pairs perfectly with grilled lobster or foie gras and strawberry chutney

In the tab: Attachment 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 input of animal proteins in the last step - Vegan
> Long term without intervention
AGEING AND DISGORGEMENT
> Few or no reserve wines
> Low sugar content at bottling - effervescence instead of bubbles > Long maturation on the lees - minimum 30 months
> Little or no dosage - 0 to 4 grams per liter
> Little or no sulphur
> Cuvée Abyss - made for underwater maturation at a depth of 60 meters