Hubert Soreau Champagne Brut Le Clos l'Abbé 2011

A full wine, well built, powerful and subtle, with a certain delicacy. Like those bubbles rising through the wine to bloom on its surface, the bubbles of a Clos, a whisper, a secret prayer of delight.

The fruit is collected by hand from a plot of ancient chardonnay vines on the junction of Epernay and the Côtes des Blancs then vinified and matured in neutral 300L barrels obtained from the surrounding Hautvillers forest. It was disgorged and bottled with minimum dosage after 6 years of maturing sur-latte. The wine has aromas of white fruits, lemon, and a clear, stony, mineral edge. The wine is taught on the palate, mixing rich richness with electrifying acidity to give the wine a sense of force and weightlessness. Soreau's 2011 is wonderful!