2017 Agrapart & Fils Champagne, Grand Cru Venus, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Nature, Bottle (750mL)

Wind Advocate | 95 Points

"The 2017 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus is more ethereal than the richer Avizoise, offering up aromas of white flowers, sweet stone fruits and fresh hazelnuts, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and pillowy palate with a mineral, fine-boned profile and a long, saline finish. It's proof that, despite the vintage's poor reputation, some seriously compelling wines were made in 2017, especially from Chardonnay."

Vénus is the Goldilocks wine. It comes from a tiny 0.3-hectare vineyard in Avize called La Fosse, planted in 1959 and home to some of the oldest vines in the Côte des Blancs.

It’s Pascal Agrapart’s favorite site - mid-slope and perfectly balanced, blending the pure chalk of the upper slope with the richer clay-limestone below. For Pascal, this is the ultimate expression of his style: depth and precision, breadth and cut.

The vineyard is still plowed by a horse named Vénus, and the wine proudly bears her name.

Always a vintage release, made in minuscule quantities, bone dry, and bottled under cork with zero dosage - this is Champagne in its rawest, most unfiltered form.

Pascal recommends giving it a few hours of air before drinking. It rewards the wait with clarity, energy, and that rare harmony of power and finesse that only old vines and great terroir can deliver.