This offer is open through Monday, March 3rd while supplies last. Minimum order of 3 bottles which can be combined with orders of Guiton. Wine is expected to arrive May/June 2025.
Our tasting impressions
A wine that defies description. There just doesn't seem to be known vocabulary to aptly describe the myriad and captivating sensation of this tiny production, Grand Cru gem.
But we shall try...the aromatics are intensely mineral. On the palate, it is lively and cool, redolent of orchard fruit with a soupçon of yeast and a citrus spritz. You feel like you can taste the vineyard. It’s a bright wine that has heft while being delicate. This dichotomy likely results from the combination of blocked malolactics and micro-oxidation aging. Marvel at this unique Champagne from a great vintage, but enjoy it as well. It's incredibly complex but oh so delicious. And, an added benefit to the extended aging under cork is that the wine is much more approachable on release.
About this wine
Dubois' Tête de Cuvée is 100% Chardonnay from a single, special, Grand Cru plot named Mazagran, which was planted in 1951 in clay soil. Vinified in steel tank. The malolactic fermentation was allowed for only half of the wine. Aged at least 8 years under cork instead of crown to allow micro-oxidation - a technique passed down for many generations. During the aging, the wine (not disgorged yet) is on the lees and developing more complexity. Bottled after a light filtration. Disgorgement was on October 25, 2024 with a dosage of 4.5g/L. Production is a mere 1,046 bottles.
About the grape
Chardonnay is the most popular white wine variety in the the US. Winemakers love the green-skinned grape as well because it’s so easy to grow and adaptive to many different production techniques. Grown everywhere, Chardonnay’s greatest expressions are widely believed to come from Burgundy, where it is believed to have originated. Chablis, in Northern Burgundy and Champagne also offer superlative examples of Chardonnay.
About the vintage
The winter of 2015 was chilly and unstable. From April to mid-August the weather was consistently hot and dry. Cooler temps and rain in late August gave way to a gorgeous September. Acidity levels are low as expected from the heat but the grapes had remarkable balance. A consistently outstanding vintage.
The roots of this Grower Champagne estate dates back to 1920. Hervé's grandfather Paul was in the business of transporting wine to the big Champagne houses by horse. He bought land in Avize in order to feed and raise the horses and this land eventually was designated Grand Cru vineyards. A decade later, he developed the property to focus on wine production.
In 1981, Hervé began bottling wine under his own name. His daughter, Nina has been working with him since 2012.
The 6.3ha estate in the Côte des Blancs near Épernary is 63% Chardonnay - 3.5ha are Grand Cru from Avize in the Côte de Blancs and a half ha of 1er Cru in Montagne de Reims. The estate also comprises 1.5ha Pinot Meunier and .8ha Pinot Noir from the Vallée de la Marne.
Thirty-eight years ago, Hervé was among the pioneers who began stemming the malolactic fermentation process in his Chardonnay the enduring malic acid made his wine fresher, livelier and more transparent of the terroir. Typically, they do this with half of their Chardonnay production.
They have no desires to grow, to be famous or wealthy from their work. These are truly artisan winemakers. Their only goal is to produce the best Champagne they can - Champagne that is deeply reflective of the land and people who work it.
