Description
Brice, Champagne Brut Blanc de Noirs Bouzy Grand Cru
Bouzy is at the very pinnacle of Pinot Noir production in Champagne. Of all the Grand Cru villages, perhaps only Ambonnay can compete for sheer complexity, power, and perfume when it comes to Blanc de Noirs. It’s also home to some SommSelect Hall of Fame superstars like Jean Vesselle, Pierre Paillard, and Benoît Lahaye, so we were very surprised, and downright delighted, when a producer we’ve never encountered hit the tasting table recently. The 100% blanc of Pinot Noir from Champagne Brice nailed every Bouzy note perfectly: Lifted perfume, sensuous texture, powerful structure, and a rich, golden hue. An easy comparison is to the famous house of Bollinger, just down the road, but Brice is a touch more taut, though every bit as sexy and indulgent. Oh, and its scrappy, newcomer status comes with a fantastic price.
The Brice family isn’t new to wine production in Bouzy, they’re just relatively new to sparkling wine. Interestingly, this family was focused almost exclusively on the still reds made from Pinot Noir, (aka Bouzy Rouge, which you will recognize from yesterday’s Daily Discovery!) for many generations until they began a slow transition to Champagne following WWII. In 1994 Jean-Paul Brice officially founded the family’s Grower Champagne label after solidifying ownership of 12 hectares of vines, eight of which are in the home village of Bouzy. Jean-Paul’s sons, Jean-René and Remi, took the helm in 2004 and they are now joined by consulting winemaker Christophe Constant, who was formerly at Champagne Paul Bara, another iconic Bouzy domaine.
Vineyard work is the focal point at Brice. Everything is farmed organically, and the fruit is hand harvested at the optimal time to preserve the ideal balance between ripeness and structure. Champagne is famous for micro, micro-plots of vines where every other row is a different grower, but Brice have the luxury of much larger plots, which allows them greater control over the entire farming process. Once harvested, the pristine Pinot Noir fruit goes into a combination of steel tanks and mostly used 228l oak barrels, for fermentation and aging. Malolactic fermentation never occurs, and today’s release, based on the 2016 vintage, was aged in the bottle on its lees for 42 months before disgorgement.
The long lees aging, and the additional couple of years of bottle age under cork, have brought this Blanc de Noirs into an optimal drinking window. Serve cool, not ice cold, at between 45 and 50 degrees in an all-purpose or Burgundy stem, and you’ll immediately notice the aromatic intensity leaping from your glass: Tart cherry, raspberry liqueur, spiced apple, dried rose, orange blossom, lemon zest, and hints of wild mushroom all mingle above the gorgeous, straw-gold hue. The rich, mouth-filling texture of Bouzy is framed by a powerful structure that plays perfectly with an elegant, delicate mousse. This is Champagne for gastronomy for sure, and will pair perfectly with a range of dishes from lobster bisque to truffled eggs, but I’m going to recommend the classic late night sommelier snack and tell you to fire up your favorite fried chicken recipe, it’s a deliciously indulgent treat, go for it!
