Domaine Vincey Champagne Chardonnay Grand Cru Oger “Le Grand Jardin” 2020 750ml

Derived from a southeast-facing site of old massal selection planted in 1967, the 2020 Blanc de Blancs Oger Le Grand Jardin is one of the most dramatic wines in the range. Quentin Vincey told me that the clay component here is deeper (about 90 centimeters), and the site is less windy, which, combined with its exposure, defines the personality of this rather gourmand blanc de blancs. Flamboyant and boldly expressive, framed by maturation in oak (for 12 months, 20% new), it wafts from the glass with aromas of yellow plum, cedar and pastries mingling with ripe citrus fruit. Full-bodied, enveloping and textural, underpinned by succulent acids, it’s easy to tell that you’ve left Le Mesnil and arrived in Oger.

• Country: France
• Region: Champagne
• Size: 750ml

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.