NV Eric Rodez Ambonnay Cuvee des Crayeres

Certified organic (Ecocert) and biodynamic (Demeter). Tirage 2020, disgorged January 2024. Smoky sweet citrus and so intensely orange citrus that it reads like an ode to clementines. Citrus-leaf greens and citrus-oil golds intensify the fragrance and intensify the glimmering ripeness. Full-bodied, slow and steady, enveloping build-up. The finest bubbles embroider a furl of creaminess on the finish. (TC)

The NV Champagne Grand Cru Ambonnay Cuvée des Crayères is elegant and pure, with fresh white flowers, wet stone, and light smokiness. It is approachable and easy-drinking, with an understated sophistication, offering notes of raspberry eau de vie and biscuit, and the mousse is refreshing, with vibrant energy. This is quaffable now and will continue to improve over the next ten years. Based in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, Eric Rodez and his son Mickaël lead this Pinot Noir-focused estate today and mark the eighth and ninth generations, respectively, in their family of winegrowers. Biodiversity is highly prioritized at this estate. They have been certified organic since 2012 through HVE (High Environmental Value) and have had biodynamic certification since 2015 through the Demeter organization. Eric attributes his farming practices and especially soil management to his time spent in Alsace. He also worked at Krug from 1978 through 1984.

Disgorged in January 2019, the latest release of Rodez's NV Brut Cuvée des Crayeres offers up attractive aromas of pear, ripe citrus fruit, freshly baked bread and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a pretty core of fruit underpinned by a tangy spine of acidity, it concludes with a penetratingly saline finish.