Petit & Bajan Blanc de Noirs Brut Obsidienne Grand Cru
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Wine &
Spirits -
Wilfred
Wong -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
100% Pinot Noir, selected from Grand Cru-rated terroir in the village of Verzenay. So much complexity, so much soul. Wildflowers, small red berries, roses, stone fruit. A bold and very beautiful Blanc de Noirs.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The platinum-gold color barely hints at the fact that the wine is 100 percent pinot noir, grown in the chalk and clay soils of Verzenay. The floral notes of roses might, along with the the youthful power. The fruit shows off a range of earthiness, bringing to mind the skin of a fresh-dug potato, and the fuzz of an underripe peach. It’s as if the Champagne limestone had come to life in a wine that’s formidable and refreshing.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Champagne Petit & Bajan Obsidienne shine with freshness and brightness. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of tart apples and loads of minerality. Try it with a bowl of steamed clams. (Tasted: September 12, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Based on the 2014 vintage and disgorged in June 2020, the new release of the NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Obsidienne is very pretty, offering up fragrant aromas of orchard fruit, apple blossom, orange oil and subtle hints of coniferous forest. Medium to full-bodied, taut and incisive, with fine depth at the core, tangy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it's an elegantly muscular wine derived from holdings in Very and Verzenay.
Rating: 92+
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.’