Unless you’re willing to undergo an exhaustive, cross-country trip, I suggest you take my declaration at face value: No matter the state, you won’t find a cellar, retail shop, or restaurant with Pierre Legras’ cellar-direct 2008 Grand Cru Champagne because we’re the only one in America with access! I lead with this not to detract from the monumentally expressive wine in the bottle, but to highlight the urgency and exclusivity of this sensational Friday Night special. We originally stumbled upon Pierre Legras in Paris earlier this year and were beyond thrilled to learn they had little exposure in the States. But that excitement paled in comparison to the “secret reveal” at the very end of the tasting: tonight’s 12-years-aged 2008 Grand Cru.
Unfortunately, we were only able to haul a meager 17 cases overseas, but it’s an impressive victory when considering the absurdly low $68 price tag. Even now, as I stare at the bottle and look at the lack of online presence, I still find it hard to believe we’re the first to introduce this stunner to America. If you want the best without spending $100-plus, all signs point to this singular Grand Cru Champagne from the indefatigable, stuff-of-legend 2008 vintage. Free Ground shipping on three bottles, maximum of six bottles per person.
[NOTE: If this is your first time seeing our Friday night series, welcome! My name is Mark Osburn, writer and sommelier at SommSelect, and you’re likely familiar with the many Champagnes I’ve waxed rhapsodic about over the years. My goal is simple: to offer you rare Champagne exclusives and/or highly allocated sparkling gems that have to be pried out of an iron grip. These special offers don’t happen every week, but they will always be on a Friday night—stay vigilant!]
Although the Legras’ Chouilly lineage started with the birth of Pierre Legras in 1662—during the time of Dom Pérignon, and under the reign of King Louis XIV, it took 10 generations until current proprietor Vincent Legras and his father began purchasing vines and making Champagne from these fabled soils. What started with a handful of hectares has now grown to 10, seven of which are planted to Grand Cru Chardonnay—the Legras’ specialty. And it’s their pure Chardonnay bottlings that we instantly fell in love with. Only recently has the family begun looking to export their outrageously delicious Champagnes, so meeting them in Paris earlier this year definitely felt like a right-place, right-time incident.
For today’s long-aged, vintage-dated “Idée de Voyage,” the Legras’ looked to their top-performing, sustainably farmed Chardonnay vines within Grand Cru Chouilly. After harvesting by hand in 2008, they gently pressed the grapes and began a slow, cool fermentation in both stainless steel tanks (70%) and neutral French barrels (30%). The wine was then bottled in the first semester of 2009, where it then matured just under 11 years without any disturbance! When it was finally disgorged in late 2019, it was given a light dosage of three grams per liter and allowed six additional months of rest before being shipped directly to us.
I can’t stress enough the unadulterated beauty of long-aged, Grand Cru Chardonnay in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs. This ‘08 splashes into the glass with a fierce mousse that quickly subsides and gives way to a wide range of sublime aromatics: creamy pear, white peach, yellow and green apple, lemon curd, citrus peels, brioche, lees, finely crushed chalk, honey-glazed toast, grilled hazelnut, and oyster shell. It’s 12 years certainly do not show on the palate—each layer hits with such energy and finesse, all while traversing great depths. If one is seeking top-class, expertly crafted, aged Grand Cru Champagne, I can’t see how anyone in their right mind would pass up this rare exclusive. For me, you’d have to go to great lengths to find anything comparable for $68. Enjoy now and often, stash it away for another 5-10 years, or find a happy medium. Either way, you cannot go wrong with this 2008 blockbuster. Cheers!
