Disgorged July 2024. (Formerly known as Expérience). The price here reflects the demand for a cuvée that is utterly unique in the Champagne world and the rarity (there is next to none to go around). Finally, we should not forget that this is a wine style that is extremely difficult to make. First, some background for those new to this wine. In 2002, Agrapart sought and (remarkably) received permission from the local authorities to begin experimenting with a small quantity of wine that he wanted to produce without adding any sugar: no chaptalisation and no additions for the secondary fermentation’s liqueur de tirage (the tricky part), nor the final dosage (liqueur d’expédition). Not using sugar and yeast for the liqueur de tirage (to prompt the second fermentation in the bottle) is actually against the AOC laws, which is why Agrapart needed permission. So how does Agrapart achieve the bottle fermentation? Instead of sugar, he uses must (grape juice) from the same vineyards that produce the wine, thus enabling him to produce a Champagne that is 100% the product of estate-grown grapes. It is also a lower-alcohol wine because the absence of sugar additions means the alcohol does not jump 1.5 degrees, as typically occurs with standard secondary fermentation. So, this wine rests at around 11.8% alcohol compared with 12.5% for the rest of the range. It’s also a wine that can age well; we recently tasted the first vintage, 2007, from magnum at the estate. It was in wonderful shape! The current release is an equal-parts blend from vineyards that contributed to the Avizoise and Minéral cuvées (Les Robarts in Avize and Les Bionnes in Cramant), ‘dosed’ with around 20% of the juice of 2020 from these same vineyards. It is this juice that drives the secondary fermentation in the bottle. Again, no sugar or yeast additions are used for all fermentation, and the wine is never fined or filtered. Regardless of the methodology, this is simply a magnificent, one-of-a-kind Blanc de Blancs: complex, floral and crystalline—without the traditional autolytic notes of a standard tirage, but instead, a purity and delicacy that is second to none. The finish is seriously long as well, streaked with chalk, sap and candied lemon notes.

Agrapart’s scintillating Terroirs is 100% Grand Cru, with the fruit sourced only from great sites across four revered villages in the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Cramant, Oger and Oiry. Together with the terroir, vine age is a key quality factor, with the average age of the plantings at more than 50 years. This release is based on two outstanding vintages: 2020 and 2019. The reserve wine (the earlier vintage) makes up a remarkable 80% of the cuvée—another telling factor in its quality. After natural fermentation, half the wine matured in large-format, neutral oak and spent over 36 months on lees. Dosage is limited to 5 g/L, and disgorgement was carried out by hand in March 2024. This is another flat-out stunning disgorgement of this wine. Although the 7 Crus is terrific, this is, as always, another level altogether. The quality of the Grand Cru sites, the age of vines, the vintages involved, and the dominance of reserve wines in the blend all play their role in this difference. Regardless, it’s evidence of a stellar grower in perpetual movement. The wine is already wonderful but will, as always, benefit from another year under cork. No third-party notes as yet, but again, trust us: This is superb!