Claude Cazals Cuvée Vive Grand Cru NV

What

The respected Mesnil-sur-Oger grower estate was founded in 1897 by a Catalan cooper from the south of France.

Where

Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Côte des Blancs; 10ha of vineyards in Le Mesnil, Oger, Vertus and Villeneuve, all planted to chardonnay.

Why

This is an NV with remarkable maturity, its 2009 base wine aged on lees for 6 years. An Extra Brut is actually made without liqueur d’expedition to give it the most transparent expression possible.

What else

This is one of the few estates in Champagne that can boast a “clos” or walled vineyard. The Clos Cazals in Oger, purchased in the 1950s, is one of the largest of Champagne’s 21 clos at 3.7ha. Claude Cazals, father of current proprietor Delphine Cazals, is also said to have invented the gyropalette.

Tasting Notes

Butter pastry, quince and under-ripe apricot nose. Palate seamlessly integrates spicy oak notes into a perfumed, conifer sap bouquet. The acid is driving but well covered by mid-palate flesh. The texture clicks on the attack but melts into a creamy finish, lacking bitterness but with perhaps a hint of too much warmth.

Try It With 

Salty Southeast Asian snacks: prawn or fish crackers.

When To Drink

Entrées or Snacks.

Perfect For

Your sophisticated parent/aunt/uncle.

TL/DR

CdB chardonnay tuned to a harmonious, perfect medium.

Supplier

Champagne Asia