Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs (NV)
Champagne Valentin Leflaive
Gr|14|45
Champagne Valentin Leflaive represents a unique interpretation of champagne and its grape varietals. Made with extreme precision, each cuvée is a veritable celebration of minerality, finesse and complexity. Extra-Brut Valentin Leflaive is composed exclusively of Chardonnay from premier cru of Grauves in the Côte des Blancs.
In the vineyard: Grapes from each plot of vines in the village of Grauves are vinified separately, then the wine is delicately blended with our reserve wines before being bottled and placed in the still depths of our cellars in Avize to mature and acquire its wonderful bubbles.
Vinification: Base wine is from the 2014 vintage, all from the premier cru of Grauves in the Côte des Blancs. Aged for 10 months in a combination of stainless steel and used Burgundy Barrels from the winery in Puligny. Aged to 42 months of the lees before disgorgement. 4.5 g/L dosage as an Extra Brut champagne.
Additional Information
A brilliant yellow color highlighted by flashes of gold. On the nose freshness and minerality subtly marry with notes of ripe citrus fruit. A crisp and tight attack is sustained by the creamy texture of the mousse whilst the freshness of the wine is perfectly complemented by flavors of citrus fruit and stone fruit culminating in a finish that is long and full of flavor.
Technical Details
- Appellation: Grauves, Côte des Blancs
- Winemaker: Erick de Sousa, Olivier Leflaive
- Sustainability: Sustainable Practices
- Soil: Chalk
- Avg Vine Age: 45 years old
- Residual Sugar: 4.5 g/l
- Pack Size: 6/750ml
- Varietals: 100% Chardonnay
Recent Press
-
Score: 90 Points
The Wine Advocate Author: William Kelley
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2020"Derived from the village of Grauves, a premier cru located on the other side of the Côte de Blanc's main wine-growing escarpment, Leflaive's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Gr1445 is based on the 2014 vintage and was disgorged in September 2018 with four and a half grams per liter dosage. Offering up aromas of sweet confit lemon, yellow apple and warm bread, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with lively acids and a nicely defined finish. There's a touch less depth and complexity than is to be found in its rosé counterpart, but this is still a very creditable effort that's ideally adapted to service as an apéritif." -
Score: 92 Points
Wine Enthusiast Author: Roger Voss
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2019"This is a beautifully textured wine, a collaboration between Olivier Leflaive of Burgundy and Erick de Sousa of Champagne. Balancing dryness against ripe fruit and with acidity shining through the mineral texture, the wine is taut and tense while also ready to drink."Grade: Best of the Year, 2019 -
Fortune Magazine Author: Rachel King
Date: Sunday, December 1, 2019The Champagnes and Sparkling Wines Worth Popping for All Your Holiday Festivities -- "To officially be recognized as a Champagne, the sparkling wine must be sourced and produced in the Champagne region of France. But the made-to-measure bubbly bottles from Valentin Leflaive are all but from Burgundy in influence and heritage. Olivier Leflaive, of the House of Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet in the heart of la Côte de Beaune, teamed with Erick de Sousa of Champagnes de Sousa in Avize in northeastern France to produce a unique Champagne from Burgundy grapes aged in Burgundy barrels. Champagne lovers have two options to sample: the bright and intense Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs NV with notes of tropical fruits and brioche, or the elegant and crisp Brut Rosé NV with a red fruit flavor profile—notably cherry and strawberries—cut by a dash of lemon for acidity." -
Score: 91 Points
JamesSuckling.com Author: James Suckling
Date: Monday, September 2, 2019"A very complex blanc de blancs that has such rich and toasty aromas of grilled pears, apples and brioche with white mushrooms and a toasted-almond thread. The palate carries a super sleek, fresh and vibrant feel with intense lemons and apples. Spiced-brioche finish. Drink now." -
Score: 93 Points
Burghound Date: Friday, June 1, 2018 "(disgorged September 2015, 7g/L, SRP $75, 4.5 g/L). An elegant and cool nose consists of plenty of yeast and brioche characters that add breadth to the apple, citrus and petrol scents. There is equally good refinement to the intense, pure and lively flavors that are supported by a relatively fine and dense mousse that also shapes the quite dry but not austere finish that possesses outstanding depth. To my taste this is drinking perfectly now and I was impressed." -
Score: 90 Points
Wine & Spirits Author: Josh Greene
Date: Friday, December 1, 2017"Working with chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs, de Sousa and Leflaive ferment this in stainless steel, then blend it with 30% reserve wines. It has a similar initial stink as the rose, emerging from that reduction with powerful acidity and some contrasting oxidative notes of cider apples and mushrooms. It's an earthy and rooty chardonnay Champagne, a salty wine built for the dinner table."Grade: Year's Best Champagnes -
Score: 90 Points
Wine Spectator Author: Alison Napjus
Date: Thursday, October 19, 2017"Spice and floral accents are aromatic in this bright and mouthwatering Champagne, laced with ripe nectarine and salted almond notes. Offers a sleek, subtle finish. Disgorged February 2015. Drink now through 2019." -
Score: 93 Points
Wine Enthusiast Author: Roger Voss
Date: Saturday, June 10, 2017"This brilliant wine is the result of a partnership between Erick de Sousa in the Côte des Blancs and Burgundian Chardonnay specialist Olivier Leflaive. It shines with crisp white fruit and citrus flavor, textured with minerality. Bottle age has let a touch of toastiness creep in, making it very ready to drink."
