Alcohol: 12.5%
Grape(s): 100% Chardonnay
Localization: Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
Tasting Notes: The oak aging provides approachability in youth and complexity over time. Its incredible freshness, saline texture and structure promise an unforgettable tasting experience filled with emotions, intensity and honesty; a rarity.
Notes: Les Sillons is the Legras brothers' first single-vineyard project and the result of two decades of research in a single plot in northwest Chouilly, Derrière Partelaine. The name Les Sillons is a nod to the beauty of the land, as well as the hard work and perseverance in the vineyards. This wine is fully fermented and aged in 20 hectoliter oak foudre before secondary fermentation in a bottle.
The Domain: Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. 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.’
