DomaineAlexandreBonnetBlancdeBlancsExtraBrutNV

Alexandre Bonnet Champagne House as we know it today goes back to 1970, in the stunning hillside village of Les Riceys, nearer and sharing more in common with Chablis than the rest of Champagne. With three Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) of Champagne, Coteaux Champenois and Rosé des Riceys, makes it unique in the world of winemaking. Its 838 hectares of vineyards make Les Riceys the largest wine producing village area in the Champagne region.rrToday the estate is 47 hectares of vineyards, exceptional land often steep dramatic hillsides. The soils are quite different to the rest of champagne with subsoils mainly composed of marly or argillaceous limestone, helping to promote elegant and complex aromas while retaining a generosity of fruit. Alain Pailley has been chef de Cave since 1985, retiring in October 2023 and handing on to his deputy Irvin Charpentier who at just 30 years old has been “in trainingâ€?since 2018. The estate became part of the Lanson BCC Group in 1998.rrVineyard: The vineyards have a variety of limestone and marls from the Kimmeridgian Jurassic era and climatically sunny semi-continental climate with cool nights at an altitude of 250m. A variety of Pinot Noir vine origins, both clone and massal selections from Champagne, Burgundy and the estate itself trained guyot and cordon de royat pruning techniques, giving yields 20% lower than average in Champagne. Average age of the vines: 30 years. The estate was certified in 2015 with HVE (high environmental value).rrWeather: 2018 was a very unusual year in more ways than one. After an exceptionally rainy winter, spring was very mild. The warmth brought with it stormy and sometimes destructive weather as well as variable rainfall throughout the appellation. Summer was very warm, dry and sunny and surpassed even the record breaking temperatures of 2003. 2018 is therefore a new benchmark for the Champagne region in terms of the heat, drought and sunshine levels.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: Côte des Bar: Les RiceysrGrape Varieties: 50% Chardonnay & 50% Pinot Blanc VrairLees Ageing: 4 yearsrBase vintage: 2018rDisgorgement: 6th January 2023rDosage: 3 g/lrDrink: Now to 2025+rrTasting Note: Fruit-forward, with plenty of floral fragrance. A melange of white and yellow fruit, baked pear and yellow apple leads the way, with a touch of lime supporting. There is good volume on a perky palate that comes with a touch of austerity towards the very end. Youthful for the time being, but there is fruity suppleness from the 2018 base year.- Tasted by Essi Avellan MW