2008 Marie-Noëlle Ledru brut Cuvée du Goulté Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru

Marie-Noelle Ledru’s 2008 Brut Blanc de Noirs Cuvee du Goulte reflects – as this cuvee does every year – whatever Pinot fruit she thinks has achieved the best flavors. Crabapple, grapefruit and lemon combine for a vibrant, sappy performance, suffused with toasted wheat, sesame, yeast, and savory crab shell reduction, with piquancy of peach kernel adding to the stimulation of a mouthwatering finish. The next day, an interesting impression of high-acid but ripe tomato had emerged, strengthening the tang and grip in this decidedly dry, robust and kinetic – if by no means the most refined or flattering – expression of Ambonnay. I suspect it will be worth following for 2-3 years. Marie-Noelle Ledru’s Ambonnay estate has acquired an illustrious reputation among self-styled Champagne cognoscenti thanks not only to the quality of her wines, but also to the fact that she handles virtually every task personally (even including hand-disgorgement). That her already diminutive acreage was recently reduced by more than half – to a mere five acres – on account of a family land dispute will no doubt render her status even more cult-like. Fortunately, if you can manage to locate some bottles of these intriguing, boldly flavored and stylistically robust expressions of Ambonnay terroir, their prices are by no means inflated. Importer: Bonhomie Wine Imports, South Orange, NJ; tel. (973) 821-5110