Description
Champagne Jean Vesselle, “Le Petit Clos” Grand Cru
For Delphine, “Le Petit Clos” is always only a few steps away, as it’s literally adjacent to their courtyard. After a manual harvest, the grapes are pressed into three barrels—new, once-used, and twice-used—from the forests of Champagne. The resulting wine went into bottle sans malolactic fermentation and then aged on lees in their cellar for 15+ years before disgorgement with a light extra-brut dosage.
I’d be impressed if someone could pin this as a 16-year-old Champagne. There is so much verve here, and yet so much nuanced wisdom to each texture. You can expect bruised Bosc pear, red and yellow apple skin, baked plum, crushed white stone, redcurrant, button mushroom, lees, baking spice, and hints of tarragon throughout the graceful and expansive palate. It’d be hard to argue that this ’06 isn’t at its peak—it’s already that superb—but I also think that window will stay wide open for the next five years. Serve it in large Champagne tulips or all-purpose stems, drink it over several hours, and prepare to soar beyond cloud nine.
