A very structured Blanc de Blanc Extra but this wine needs some time. Over two days one could see the potential in this wine. Day one this was very tight on the palate, with tart citrus, minerality, and a long finish. Not something to open to pour and sip. On day day two it was paired with some parmigiano crusted fried chicken. This was able to tame the acidity and balance the wine. Not sure if I am adequately explaining, but there is some serious potential to this wine in the future. The back label show 2g/l dosage and instead of a disgorge date the it was aged for 54 months.
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This is definitely a very serious Champagne! Low yielding, cordon-pruned vines, farmed organically, with lots of selection at the press. The wines show real structure and extract, and it’s a mystery to me why they haven’t received more attention over the years. I’m a big fan and have plenty in my personal cellar.
Daniel and William thanks for the discussion. Coincidentally I was just studying up on Doyard yesterday (which mostly meant reading William’s work in WA). For my budget the Abbaye and Perdrix seem like good introductions to the style, and I will keep an eye out for them. But Envoyer’s offer if the top end 2008 Les Lumieres surprised me. For a champagne producer that was new to me $280 seemed like a high price, especially relative to other Champagne. I’m curious what you think about the Lumieres vs the other vintage Doyard bottlings in terms of excellence, how it representats the style of the producer, and whether it’s “worth it” (which I know is a difficult, highly personal subjective thing).
I think getting acquainted with the rest of the range will probably answer the question for you! It’s a terrific Champagne and the summum of the range. On the one hand, that price seems expensive; on the other, it’s 50 USD less expansive than 2003 P2… everything is relative!
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