So just what makes this Cremant de Bourgogne so special?
For one, the winery contracts with several top small growers, who together have 75 hectares of mainly Pinot Noir devoted exclusively to producing sparkling wines, with yields far below those of Champagne. The grapes are all harvested by hand – also unusual for Cremant dec Bourgogne, and strictly sorted. But even with these very high-quality producers, Champliau chooses only 30% of the base wines from them for this luxury cuvee.
The wine, 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay, are then very traditionally made, like Champagne. And the results are sublime.
Decanter recently rated this 96 points, their top Cremant rating ever (and above literally thousands of top Champagnes), saying:
Intense citrus, peach, custard apple and toasted brioche aromas with a lush, creamy textured mousse and a mouthwateringly vibrant acidity. Long, crisp, zesty and luxurious.
And a host of other critics worldwide (including the Washington Post, which calls Champliau “exceptional,”) agree.
