MAY 2024

Rousseaux Batteux “Les Grandes Voyettes” Verzenay 2019 Visiting the cellar of Adrien Rousseaux is a mind bending experience. Barrels and bottles stacked precariously filled with some of the most sought after champagne in the region. Each barrel holds a different plot where he has coaxed flavors both complex and delicate. The resulting wines often drive us to hyperbole but suffice to say you will not suffer to find praise to heap on this bottling. He’s not a recluse but he doesn’t take many visitors and the biggest production of any one bottling is less than 6,000. This specific cuvée is less than 2,000. 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, all Grand Cru fruit from Verzenay. Adrien has confessed this to be his favorite cuvée he made in 2019. We tend to agree.  TECH SHEET

A. Levasseur “Trait de Saison” 2015 On our most recent trip to visit David Levasseur in Cuchery we revisited some favorites and dug in to some back vintages. The way these champagnes age is amazing to see. With that knowledge David has a program of releasing wines a bit later than others and that is why we are able to have some of this magnificent 2015. Most other people have sold this vintage off years ago and presumably they have mostly been consumed. Here we have the ability to go back in to the not so distant past and taste what that year 2015 provides. A year with great ripeness and expressive fruit that was not universally loved by tasters. This, however, is a shining example of a great producer making great champagne in a less than optimal year. Personally we love drinking wines like this, great wines from less than perfect years show how good a winemaker and their terroir actually are.   TECH SHEET