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Jean Vesselle, Bouzy Grand Cru “Brut Prestige” MAGNUM

Champagne, France 2001 (1500mL)
Regular price$190.00
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Jean Vesselle, Bouzy Grand Cru “Brut Prestige” MAGNUM

In 2001, nobody came close to matching Jean Vesselle’s now 19-year-old Grand Cru Vintage Champagne, and I say that knowing full well that icons Agrapart, Pierre Péters, Philipponnat, Vilmart, and Cédric Bouchard were among their formidable competition. Still, they all deserve our deepest respect and undivided attention because if you were one of the few who dared to make a Vintage Champagne in ‘01, you might as well have been climbing Mount Everest without bottled oxygen or a Sherpa. As such, today’s massive offer is not just a mature magnum of Champagne—it’s a hard-fought, hard-won epic that took nearly two decades to craft.


Because of their staggering rarity, few, if any, will ever get to experience a Champagne with “2001” on the label because 99.9% of producers played the safe card in a year when Mother Nature presented extreme challenges. But those few listed above stood there confidently, toiled in the face of diversity, and emerged with truly jaw-dropping bottles that have defied every critic, naysayer, and connoisseur.  Even Champagne luminary Peter Liem will tell you that any ‘01 Champagne is worth buying—if you can find a bottle. Most of them have already vanished from the market and been consumed long ago, but not Jean Vesselle’s 1.5-liter behemoths: This tiny stash has matured on its lees, in their dark cellar, for 17 years and was just recently disgorged. The result is a richly layered showpiece with mellow, savory overtones that stretch into an eons-long finish. This Grand Cru Champagne isn’t just a great achievement for 2001—it’s up there with any year, and we only have a few to share with you today. 


[NOTE: Due to the large format, this offer cannot be combined with any 750ML bottles from our online store or placed into Build-a-Case.” Any orders that use either of these methods will be corrected on our end after alerting you. Because of the inconvenience, we are offering complimentary Ground Shipping on two magnums.] 

Anyone who loves great Champagne, and Pinot Noir, recognizes Bouzy as ground zero for the region’s most profound expressions of the variety, with a constellation of blue-chip producers that includes Pierre Paillard, Benoît Lahaye, and Paul Bara. The ‘Vesselle’ surname is attached to several different properties within Bouzy, which can get confusing, but Delphine and David Vesselle have distinguished themselves by reviving the saignée style of rosé, producing a distinctively dark sparkler that is about as close to ‘Burgundy with bubbles’ as one could hope to get. The family’s 15 hectares of vineyards are planted to 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, a ratio which mirrors that of Bouzy as a whole. Across the entire Vesselle lineup, Pinot Noir is the star.



That said, their 2001 “Prestige” Brut does contain 30% Chardonnay—it, too, sourced exclusively from Grand Cru sites in Bouzy that are farmed with the utmost attention to detail. The Vesselles are entrenched in viticulture, working tirelessly in the vineyard to adhere to organic (despite being uncertified) practices. All this worked to their advantage in 2001, which was burdened by excess rain and hail, resulting in mass amounts of crops that were either destroyed or infected with mildew. But, please, do not let that deter you: The Vesselle’s ramped up their already-heavy workload by discarding every damaged/infected cluster which therefore left them with a beautiful, healthy crop given the circumstances. After sorting and harvesting by hand, the grapes fermented in stainless steel in their cellar. While they typically mature their vintage bottlings for a minimum of eight years on lees, today’s special library-release is truly on another level. Delphine and David Vesselle purposely held back this small batch of magnums much, much longer: nearly 17 years (!) on lees before disgorgement in late 2018.



For those who have yet to try a mature, decades-old Grand Cru Champagne, today’s 2001 delivers a completely unique and transcendental experience. Its evolution is downright stunning, especially given the vintage, and it only continues to improve as it opens up in the glass. We have the Vesselle’s impeccable expertise, large magnum format (which slows the rate of aging), and 17 years of lees aging to thank for this supremely complex and sublime experience. It pours a deep yellow in the glass with flashes of gold and emits some of the purest and expressive mature notes I’ve had the pleasure of smelling: grilled pineapple, yellow peach, acacia honey, stewed apples and apricots, marzipan, nougat, brioche, button mushroom, damp earth, crushed rocks, lees, and a touch of bakings spice. The palate is mellow, impressively broad, and chock full of wild savoriness and ripe, day-old fruit. Luxurious and intelligent, this ‘01 Champagne delivers serious length and subtle power with each sip and demands the best atmosphere you can provide it. So, (1) serve around 50-55 degrees in wide-mouthed tulips or all-purpose stems, (2) call up your most devoted sparkling wine friends, and (3) slowly savor over several hours. Cheers to the most memorable 2001 Vintage Champagne ever crafted!
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France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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