Pascal Agrapart’s Champagnes are some of the most terroir expressive wines being made today.
From his vineyards in Avize, Agrapart makes three wines from what he considers to be the region’s three main terroirs: the up-slope, down-slope, and mid-slope. He then vinifies each wine in the exact same way to highlight their differences in terroir. Today, we focus on these three wines from the stunning 2013 vintage.
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For us, 2013 in Champagne is a truly exciting vintage that will likely be considered as a great one in due time. It's not a showy vintage. Instead, the vintage delivered wines of finesse, subtlety, and incredible purity. The Côte des Blancs was particularly successful.
Agrapart's Minéral is one of the most riveting expressions of Chardonnay to be found. It's a bottle that more than lives up to its name. It is sourced from two prime lieux-dits with 40-year-old vines grown on the hard, white chalk in Avize and Cramant. Minéral offers up a blazing, focused chalky mineral tension. In 2013, this signature is on bold display.
L’Avizoise comes from the clay-rich soils at the top of the slope. It is one of our favorite Champagnes. We love its balance of lavishness and electric minerality. It offers a crystal-clear expression of Chardonnay. Pascal Agrapart’s 2013 L'Avizoise Blanc de Blancs is a show-stopper. The 2013 dramatizes the wine's drive and focus with an impression of completeness and an incredible amount of high-toned nuance.
Agrapart’s cuvée Vénus is made from his best parcel in Avize, a 0.33-hectare vineyard called La Fosse that was planted in 1959. In 2000, Agrapart began plowing the vineyard by horse in order to reduce soil compaction. The horse, a Boulonnais mare named Venus, also gave her name to the wine. In any vintage, Vénus is a Champagne of haunting depth and presence. The 2013 has a pristine expression and incredible drive. Peter Liem describes it as "silky in texture yet racy and knife-like in structure". That pretty much nails the wine.
Agrapart is one of my favorite producers in all of Champagne, and they really knocked it out of the park with their 2013. Before closing, I should mention each of these three champagnes are in short supply. Please give us your ideal order, and we'll try our best.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
