Franck Bonville Grand Cru Les Belles Voyes 2014
Avize, Cote des Blancs
Regular price $119.98
'Les Belles Voyes' 2014 95+pts
Brut Grand Cru Blanc des Blancs
$114.99 on 3+ US Low (code: 3saves5)
$119.98 reg
*2014 was unrated and is a better vintage, particularly in the Cote des Blancs over 2015
Disgorged with a dosage of five grams per liter in April 2023, the 2015 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Les Belles Voyes comes from the estate’s oldest vines in the village of Oger. It delivers a smoky, deep bouquet with aromas of flowers, lemon oil, ripe orchard fruit and pastry combined with a slightly reductive character. Mineral and vinous, the Champagne on the palate is medium to full-bodied with a mouthwatering, phenolic and chalk-driven finish. It promises graceful aging over the forthcoming five to eight years.
95+ points - Our Tasting Note: Light gold color, flush with tiny bubbles and a thick mousse. Layered from the start, air broadened the layers to reveal a pronounced nose of crushed seashells, smoky minerals, and a deep chalky character, juicy red and green apples, fresh spring peach and nectarine, cut wild flowers, a touch of mint, with a lovely brioche and biscuit note. The nose is wildly complex and a joy to go back to time and again as it blossomed in the glass. One of my favorite aspects of this wine is the texture: fine bubbles cascade effortlessly, caressing the palate, superb. Med+ acidity is perfectly enveloped in the med/med+ body, the pronounced flavors come alive and stream into a long, fresh, complex finish. An outstanding wine that delivers loads of pleasure, all 4 of us thought this was our favorite of the tasting (and a big winner again a couple months later from magnum at a dinner). This should only get better and deepen further with a little more bottle time.
The crown jewel of Bonville’s holdings is a 0.8-hectare parcel of 1960-planted Chardonnay in “Les Belles Voyes,” a hilltop vineyard in the grand cru Oger situated at the border of the grand cru Le Mesnil sur Oger. This cuvée—Bonville’s only wine which sees oak—spends eight months aging in used barrels before being bottled for its secondary fermentation. The chalk layer at this high point on the hillside is three to four meters deep (compared to around one meter in Avize), and this—along with the texture-enhancing barrel regimen—imparts a strikingly gripping, driving, billowing character to the palate. This release spent nearly eight years on the lees and was given a dosage of 6.7 grams per liter.
Brut Grand Cru Blanc des Blancs
Franck Bonville
Avize, Cotes des Blancs
$114.99 on 3+ US Low (code: 3saves5)
$119.98 reg
- 100% Chardonnay
- Single Vineyard: "The Beautiful Path" 0.8-hectare parcel of 1960-planted Chardonnay in “Les Belles Voyes,” a hilltop vineyard in the grand cru Oger situated at the border of the grand cru Le Mesnil sur Oger
- Eight months aging with malo in used French oak Burgundy barrels
- Almost 8 years on the lees sur latte
-
6.7 g/L dosage
*2014 was unrated and is a better vintage, particularly in the Cote des Blancs over 2015
Disgorged with a dosage of five grams per liter in April 2023, the 2015 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Les Belles Voyes comes from the estate’s oldest vines in the village of Oger. It delivers a smoky, deep bouquet with aromas of flowers, lemon oil, ripe orchard fruit and pastry combined with a slightly reductive character. Mineral and vinous, the Champagne on the palate is medium to full-bodied with a mouthwatering, phenolic and chalk-driven finish. It promises graceful aging over the forthcoming five to eight years.
95+ points - Our Tasting Note: Light gold color, flush with tiny bubbles and a thick mousse. Layered from the start, air broadened the layers to reveal a pronounced nose of crushed seashells, smoky minerals, and a deep chalky character, juicy red and green apples, fresh spring peach and nectarine, cut wild flowers, a touch of mint, with a lovely brioche and biscuit note. The nose is wildly complex and a joy to go back to time and again as it blossomed in the glass. One of my favorite aspects of this wine is the texture: fine bubbles cascade effortlessly, caressing the palate, superb. Med+ acidity is perfectly enveloped in the med/med+ body, the pronounced flavors come alive and stream into a long, fresh, complex finish. An outstanding wine that delivers loads of pleasure, all 4 of us thought this was our favorite of the tasting (and a big winner again a couple months later from magnum at a dinner). This should only get better and deepen further with a little more bottle time.
The crown jewel of Bonville’s holdings is a 0.8-hectare parcel of 1960-planted Chardonnay in “Les Belles Voyes,” a hilltop vineyard in the grand cru Oger situated at the border of the grand cru Le Mesnil sur Oger. This cuvée—Bonville’s only wine which sees oak—spends eight months aging in used barrels before being bottled for its secondary fermentation. The chalk layer at this high point on the hillside is three to four meters deep (compared to around one meter in Avize), and this—along with the texture-enhancing barrel regimen—imparts a strikingly gripping, driving, billowing character to the palate. This release spent nearly eight years on the lees and was given a dosage of 6.7 grams per liter.