Doyard, Cuvée Vendémiaire, Premiere Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Brut NV

“Disgorged with four grams per liter dosage after 56 months sur lattes, the latest release of Doyard’s NV Brut Premier Cru Cuvée Vendémiaire bursts with lively aromas of green apple, lemon oil, wet stones and blanched almonds. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, bright and incisive, with a crisp, elegantly tight-knit core of fruit, ripe but tangy acids and a vibrant, delicately chalky finish. It’s entirely Chardonnay, from Vertus, Les Mesnil, Oger, Avize and Cramant.”-91WA, 2018-2028

Disgorgement Dates May Vary

The Doyard family traces their winemaking roots in Champagne back to 1677 when a marriage license of Jean-Baptise Doyard showed “winegrower” as the occupation. Maurice Doyard was the first in the family to make wine in Vertus under the Doyard label in 1927, officially signifying the domaine’s foundation. In 1979, Yannick Doyard took over, turning it into a beacon for precise, vinous, mineral-etched Champagne in the Côtes des Blancs. Today, Yannick’s son Guillaume is at the helm, farming 10 ha of prime vineyards in Vertus and the Grand Cru villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Oger, Avize and Aÿ. The domaine employs organic farming in the vines, with most of the vineyards worked by horse. Yields are kept very low, adding to the concentrated intensity that defines the estate’s style. In the cellar, state of the art double-banked Coquard PAI presses are employed to get the cleanest and most delicate juice possible and every parcel is vinified separately in barrel. All of the wines undergo very long lees aging before disgorgement — a minimum of 48 months on all cuvées — which truly sets them apart from much of Champagne and is a key component to achieve the incredible complexity and depth that is found throughout their magnificent lineup.