Champagne Dosnon Recolte Blanche Brut
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Wilfred
Wong
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The Côte des Bar is Pinot country, but there is a growing appreciation for Chardonnay in the region. This makes complete sense as, at a glance, the soils reveal themselves to be nearly identical to those you find in Chablis – rocky, Kimmeridgian, and Portlandian clay and limestone. Davy Dosnon is a fan of Chardonnay and makes a small (in volume) Blanc des Blancs cuvée that is broad and rich in texture but with a pinpoint minerality that more than references Chablis with bubbles.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Champagne Dosnon Recolte Blanche Brut is compelling, complex, and lasting. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of slight nuttiness, stones-in-the-desert, chalk, and dried earth. Serve it with grilled pork chops and mushroom risotto. (Tasted: September 20, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Simon-Charles and Davy are turning out mineral, vinous bottlings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Fermenting entirely in former Puligny-Montrachet barrels, the champagnes might as well be Chablis with bubbles for all of their mineral-packed goodness. Dosages are very low (in some cases as little as 4 grams per liter) and the wines benefit from the restraint. None of the wines is fined or filtered.
Located less than an hour north of the Burgundian village of Chablis, this region of the Aube valley has more in common with northern Burgundy than with the rest of Champagne. Simon-Charles and Davy are intent on showing that difference to the world. Really masterful work from a lost region of Champagne.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’