Description
Jean Vesselle, “Oeil de Perdrix”
Does anyone remember our first Vesselle “Oeil de Perdrix” offering from three years ago? Even if you’ve been around that long, we’ll forgive you if the answer is no: It was an exceedingly rare, one-off 1999 vintage bottling that vanished inside of 30 minutes. And although today’s “OdP” is their annual multi-vintage release, it should still galvanize all Champagne cognoscenti to move double-quick because it’s produced with the same old-school technique and exists as one of the region’s most alluring and distinct Blanc de Noirs.
As many of you know, Champagne Jean Vesselle is universally recognized for their deep and vinous Pinot Noir-dominant cuvées, but today’s moreish “Oeil de Perdrix” masterpiece is among their most cherished/prized/unique bottlings. It’s a special Champagne that honors the winemaking tradition of Delphine Vesselle’s grandparents, coming in at 100% Pinot Noir (mostly from Grand Cru Bouzy!) and sporting a dark salmon-pink hue due to 24 hours of skin contact. Some label it a rosé, Delphine Vesselle calls it a Blanc de Noirs, and we identify it as a scintillatingly rich and rarely imitated Champagne uniquity. No matter how you categorize it, we guarantee you’ll be enthralled.
Anyone who loves great Champagne, and Pinot Noir, recognizes Bouzy as ground zero for the region’s most profound expressions of the variety, with a star-bright constellation of producers that includes Pierre Paillard, Benoît Lahaye, Camille Savès, André Clouet, and Paul Bara. The Vesselle surname is attached to several different properties within Bouzy, which can get confusing, but Delphine and David Vesselle have quickly distinguished themselves from the pack. The family’s 15 hectares are planted to 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay (a ratio that mirrors Bouzy as a whole), and across the entire Vesselle lineup, Pinot Noir is the luminous, irrepressible star.
First established in the 1800s, the Vesselles are also deeply entrenched in Champagne viticulture, and today they work tirelessly in the vineyard to adhere to organic practices. Come harvest, the ripe Pinot Noir clusters (from Grand Cru Bouzy and select holdings in the Aube) are picked by hand and sent to their cellar for a 24-hour maceration to achieve its signature dark salmon-pink and slight copper color before being pressed into stainless steel tanks. Following an indigenous yeast fermentation, the resulting wine was bottled and cellared for three years of lees aging. It was disgorged towards the end of 2020 and given a six-gram dosage. I would estimate the base vintage for this cuvée to be 2017, with some older reserve wines blended in.
From the first pour to the last sip, Vesselle’s “Oeil de Perdrix” is a breathtakingly unique and refreshing take on conventional Blanc de Noirs. Thanks to the brief skin contact, the wine pours a beautiful, deep, salmon-pink core with vibrant copper-orange hues. The mousse is vigorous and fine, and just like all of Vesselle’s Champagnes, an aromatic tour de force reveals itself on the nose. It bursts with high-toned wild raspberry, green strawberry, Rainier cherry, redcurrant, rose stem, white pepper, blood orange zest, chalk, crushed red apple, moss, damp thyme, and dried red and white flowers. The mouthfeel is full, soft, and generous but pulsing with electric jolts of acidity and lip-smacking minerality before the vinous signature of Vesselle’s ripe, bold Pinot Noir steals the show. Even though it’s an absolute joy to consume right now, I’m equally excited at the prospect of cellaring: This could age for a sneakily long time—maybe even 5-10 years—with intense, sublime savory deepening each step of the way. Cheers!
