2015 Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage

Produced from 44% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier, the 2015 Champagne Grand Vintage Extra Brut pours a medium golden-straw hue and is opulent on opening with toasty aromas of baked bread, spiced orange peel, marzipan, and dried peach. Full-bodied, with a pillowy mouthfeel, it has a very nice balance of ripe fruit while retaining freshness Silky textured, its notes of citrus oils and orchard fruits last through the finish. This elegant and warming wine would do fantastically well moving into these cooler fall and winter months. Although I personally enjoy where this is for drinking now, it should hold up over the coming 6-8 years. Disgorged February 2022.

Tasted blind in a line-up of eight grandes marques champagnes. 44% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, 24% Meunier. Dosage 5 g/l. Disgorged September 2022. Smoky nose with a hint of sorrel. Makes a ‘blond’ impression on the palate, with quite a bit of sweetness. Brioche and lemon-peel oils. Quite scrunched-up tension to begin with and then it unfurls rapidly into lots of loose-knit lacy bubbles. A little short! Easy and approachable, but noticeably less complex and lengthy than its peers. (TC)

A blend of 44% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay and 24% Pinot Meunier, the Moët & Chandon 2015 Extra Brut Grand Vintage was bottled with a dosage of five grams per liter after six years in the cellars. With notes of marzipan, pastry, lemon confit, pear and peach, the bouquet is charming and fresh. Nervy tension animates its fine, crystalline palate. After some time in the glass, it evolves toward smoke, struck flint and vanilla notes. An elegant Champagne, now at its peak, but which could be kept for another five years.