Champagne Le Mesnil ‘Sublime’ Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Brut NV

Very pale with delicate effervescence. Very complex, delicate nose with hints of dried fruit. A slight toasty character that will assert itself with time. Ample mouthfeel with mellow acidity, giving the wine great finesse and a harmonious, slightly crisp finish.

Founded in 1937, the vineyard of Le Mesnil sur Oger has a truly excellent terroir, 100% of its vineyards are ranked as "Grand Cru". 

The vineyard is situated at the heart of the prestigious "Côte des Blancs", so called because of the omnipresence of the superb Chardonnay. The Côte de Blancs, as its name implies is white grape country. A lozenge-shaped hill stretching south of Épernay for about twenty kilometres. The Côte is overwhelmingly planted to Chardonnay, which here, reaches its heights of complexity and distinction like nowhere else in Champagne. In the commune of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, the topsoil is very shallow, allowing the vine to penetrate directly into the Cretaceous chalk, making the wines of this Grand Cru village the most searingly acidic when young, but with enough constitution to ensure a long and distinguished life. 

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is the finest of all the Chardonnay dominated villages classified as Grand Cru. It is a large and diverse commune of 420 hectares. Some 320 hectares are owned by individual growers of which, more than 80 commercialise their own Champagne, a notably high figure for the region. The balance of the vineyards are controlled by the Grandes Maisons. The exceptional "terroir", combined with the quality of Chardonnay grapes, enables Champagne le Mesnil to make wine with a level of freshness and refinement beyond compare. Those two elements are essential to ensure the graceful aging of the wines over time. Through aging, wines get more complex gaining aromas of toasted almonds, chocolate, mocha and a subtle hint of earthy notes. Their "vinothèque" is the sanctuary where their timeless wines - the oldest vintage dates back to 1969 - are kept. The white wine made from this grape, with its white skin and flesh is the reason why the appellation is known as the "Blanc de Blancs". 

The quality of the vineyards comes from the fact that they are east-facing. With vineyard topsoil over a base layer of chalk the vineyards have excellent hydric qualities thus allowing the chardonnay grapes to reach their full potential. This is obviously pure Chardonnay. Every step of the vinification process is carried out with the utmost respect. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel and concrete tanks at 18 degrees C. Left on their lees, the wines are cleaned up and bottled in the following spring. The assemblage is usually around 90% of the current vintage, with 10% reserve wine, made up of one or two older vintages. It is then aged for a minimum of three years on its crown cork before disgorging and receiving a dosage of around 7g/l. The modern and well equipped cellars allow Champagne Le Mesnil to work according to time respected traditions, whilst enabling them to closely monitor each cuvee to another. Their aromas are allowed to develop fully during this period, resulting in the sumptuous blends which confer to each of the Mesnil Cuvees its own unique character and inimitable flavour.

A "Grand Cru" is not an administrative subdivision of the area of Champagne production. A Grand Cru is a particular soil, limited, precious, which, thanks to the geological nature of its ground, the specific qualities of its orientation, promotes harmonious development of the great grapes and produces great wines. Grands Crus are few (17) and there are even less Grands Crus Blanc de Blancs (7) compared with 350 wines listed in champagne area. A Grand Cru Chardonnay is not only rare, it is a gold sparkle.

Established in 1937, the members of the co-operative - Coopérative Union des Propriétaires Récoltants (UPR) or, more conveniently called ‘Champagne Le Mesnil’ - own some of the best sites within the commune. Their commitment to quality is further endorsed when one considers the close (and confidential) relationship it has with its main trading partners, which include Moët & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot, Taitiinger, LaurentPerrier, Delamotte and Pol Roger. It is rumoured that some of the wines even find their way into the legendary Salon, located just a few minutes’ walk away across the village. UPR Le Mesnil bottles and commercialises less than 10% of its own production. There is little or no marketing budget. No glossy magazine advertisements. No umbrellas. No gimmicks. You pay for what you get. So, for the real Champagne lover, the wines are something of a steal.