TASTING CHAMPAGNE LE MESNIL
This Grand Cru champagne is made using the highest quality grapes from the village of Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger.
For thirty years I've been passionate about, delight in, dream about, seek out, and take the upmost pleasure in champagne. Once I discovered the real thing — champagne from the Champagne region of France — I shunned cava, and prosecco, and other sparkling wines in favour of the real thing.
Nowadays I include glasses of champagne in my weekly schedule, making my sixties even more swinging. Recently I taste-tested (i.e. savoured a full glass of) Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. Here's what I discovered.
In the Champagne region the Grand Cru designation is applied to the highest quality grapes that come from one of only seventeen villages (of the 350 wine-producing villages in the region). Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger is one of these villages, and 100% of its vineyards are ranked as Grand Cru.
Small "c" champagne is the beverage — capital "C" Champagne is the region of France it comes from
Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is made using only Chardonnay grapes from these Grand Cru vineyards. The vineyards benefit from an east-facing slope and chalky soil made up of fossilized ocean creatures (it was once an ancient seabed), which provides minerality. The Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes add a crispness, which produces a well-balanced champagne with an aromatic intensity.
TASTING NOTES
Eye – Pale gold with fine bubbles.
Nose – Aromatic and smells nicely of yeast with added notes of apple, lime, and a hint of caramel.
Taste – Toasty and biscuity flavours, with tastes of brioche, white chocolate, and blanched almonds. Crisp, with mineral tangs.
Overall – Le Mesnil is refreshing and light with an elegant, long finish. That is, the taste stays on the back of the tongue for a long time.
THE WINERY
Coopérative UPR
19 rue Charpentier Laurain
51190 Le Mesnil Sur Oger, France