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Tsarine Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2003
On the 6th of April 2003, the temperature at daybreak is -6 C in La C te des Blancs , soil of the Grands Crus de Chardonnay : the majority of the emerging buds are destroyed by this hoar frost of spring. The volume of harvest is, at this stage, already strongly compromised.
On August 6th, 2003, France chokes under the heat wave and the thermometer reaches 39.5 C in the shade of Epernay.
The 2003 vintage knows all superlatives. However, in the storm, Champagne Chanoine chooses only the best grapes from the bad ones, and insulates a jewel: since decades, the Grands Crus de Chardonnay have never known such a concentration of quality.
Few houses produce Blanc de Blancs that year, because quality grapes are rare, partially destroyed by the frostbite of April, or scalded by the sirocco of August. Nevertheless, the result is worth the patience and the stubbornness of the winemakers.
Under a limpid and pure robe, one guesses a fine and flexible foam.
The nose, initially discrete, opens up on floral flavors of lemongrass and bergamot. The freshness is announced by astonishing notes of mint.
The mouth surprises, astonishes by its uprightness and its freshness. The mineral universe comes along with spiced cinnamon notes, followed by a long and harmonious prolongation, completing the work of time.
WINEMAKING DETAILS
Vintage: bottled in year 2004, limited to 29,116 bottles
Origins: C te des Blancs, Grands Crus
Grapes: Chardonnay
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