There’s no disputing that the Grand Cru village of Chouilly is among the finest Chardonnay terroirs on earth, so when a widely circulated publication like Wine Enthusiast called Lenoble’s 2008 bottling an “icon of Chouilly,” a collective perking of ears occurred. Accordingly, Champagne advocates were eager to see how they’d respond, but there was no 2009. No 2010 or 2011, either. Four years passed before they unveiled their next Chouilly vintage bottling—today’s incredibly sublime, pulse-quickening 2012—and we’re going on record saying it outperforms their exceptional ‘08.
Really, when considering everything this wine offers (the inimitable brilliance of blanc de blancs; the fabled terroir of Chouilly; the legendary 2012 vintage; the mastery of Champagne House AR Lenoble), few labels come remotely close to matching today’s sheer value. The unrivaled breadth and complexity of Grand Cru Côte des Blancs is at full capacity here, and after 7+ years of evolution in AR Lenoble’s carved-from-chalk cellars, it explodes with a shockingly vivid core of mineral intensity and softly textured fruit. Though the price doesn’t reflect it, today’s 2012 deserves to be paired with the finest moments in life just like Salon, Krug, and Selosse inevitably are. From all angles, this is a perfect bottle of world-class Champagne that conclusively outshines the vast majority of Champagne’s BdB competition. We purchased this small trove directly from Lenoble’s cellar several months ago and it is currently awaiting your purchase in our temp-controlled warehouse. Enjoy.
AR Lenoble is a rare breed in Champagne—both a highly respected house and independently owned since day one. This is a family resolute in keeping operations close-knit and crafting the greatest, purest expressions from an impressive collection of elite vineyards. While technically a négociant house, AR Lenoble is hardly just some “merchant.” In 1915, Armand-Raphaël Graser made the decision to move his family from Alsace in order to protect them from the nasty vibrations of the First World War. It took five years to craft his first Champagne and 20 more to actually establish the house, but with perseverance and a little help along the way (from Léon de Tassigny, who went on to take the helm at famed Champagne Jacquesson), AR Lenoble began making its way onto the world scene.
Lenoble is now run by his great-grandchildren, the brother-sister team of Anne and Antoine Malassagne, who have brought on new practices while preserving the traditions that preceded them. The Malassagnes have made sustainable viticulture a priority, eschewing chemical fertilizers, and eliminating other non-organic vineyard treatments. Additionally, reserve wines are fermented in a mixture of unique vessels and dosage levels are kept low to let the fruit and terroir character shine. They are the epitome of progressive thinking.
As such, their vintage Chouilly bottlings are spectacles to behold. The Chardonnay is sustainably farmed entirely within this Grand Cru village and harvested after meticulous inspection and sorting. In the winery, the wine predominantly ferments in stainless steel vats with a small percentage seeing neutral oak, 25%, in order to introduce broader and more complex textures. After bottling today’s wine in the first quarter of 2013, it was sent into their cellars for over seven years of aging. It was disgorged in the Summer of 2020 and given a very light dosage of two grams.
Chardonnay from Grand Cru Chouilly yields some of the finest Champagne for a reason: It delivers a powerful, palpable level of minerality in the form of oyster shell, crushed white stone, and chalk. It’s all there in today’s long-aged 2012 from AR Lenoble. After releasing the cork, the wine hits the glass with intensity, bubbling up with a fierce mousse that quickly dissipates to reveal a bright straw-yellow core with silver reflections. The nose oozes white-gloved delicacy first and foremost, but with a wonderful richness that constantly evolves from ripe orchard fruit, peach, and apricot, to salt-preserved lemon, citrus blossoms, lees, and honeysuckle. Although sporting a mere two-gram dosage, it works masterfully here, adding ample body and texture to each lengthy, richly flavored sip. This is the epitome of Grand Cru blanc de blancs! Serve into wide-mouthed tulips or all-purpose stems while enjoying around 50-55 degrees. Though beautiful right now, I expect it to be even greater in the next 2-5 years, although it will certainly keep evolving in a positive direction for another 10. Cheers!
