Champagne Pascal Agrapart Grand Cru Vénus Blanc de Blancs 2018 (Disg. Jul 24)

Disgorged July 2024. This is a very special wine from a very special plot. It comes from one-third of a hectare of vines in the renowned Avize vineyard plot, La Fosse aux Pourceaux. This 0.3-hectare section of La Fosse lies on the chalkiest portion of the slope near the village (contrasting with the more clay-rich soils of the Avizoise cuvée). The vines were planted in 1959 and so are extremely old by Champagne standards. This single parcel cuvée is therefore made in only tiny quantities each year. The wine is named after the Boulonnais mare, Vénus, that first ploughed the vineyard.

Yes, Avizoise is one of the benchmark wines of the Côte des Blancs, yet Vénus somehow takes everything to another level. It’s an intense wine that demands food and is worth decanting when young. It will also benefit from two or three years of further aging (at least). Treat it like a great white wine, served at the table with proper wine glasses (we recommend a Burgundy glass), and you will be greatly rewarded. This cuvée is bottled without any dosage.

Vénus has more depth, grip and phenolic power than Avizoise, yet it offers plenty of finesse and mineral intensity to match the wine’s power and complexity. It’s a Côte des Blancs Chevalier-Montrachet! In 2018, this terroir's magic is again on show; no matter the depth, the wines still offer otherworldly vibrancy, finesse and drinkability. Very beautiful indeed.