Tasting note

From a 0.5-hectare parcel that was planted in 1956 right behind the domaine in Vertus, the intensely citrus colored 2012 Premier Cru Extra Brut Millésime Clos de l'Abbaye offers a deep, elegant bouquet of ripe and fresh Chardonnay, herbs and chalk. On the palate, this is a lovely pure, crisp and graceful Champagne with a very charming style of minerality. It is lean but vital, very mineral and almost steely but combined with ripe yet refreshing citrus fruit and lingering complexity. The finish is lush but tensioned, pristine and fine, very long and promising. You can already drink it today, but there is enormous aging potential. No malolactic here. Tasted April 2018.

Score: 94+

Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, September 2018