Champagne Legras & Haas Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Millésime Cuvée Les Sillons 2013

Decanter 96 pts

Nose of yellow apples and a touch of oak. The palate has opulent brioche, baked apple, whipped cream, lime and lemon flavours, racy acidity and an ultra-long finish. An accomplished wine with a very promising future. “Derrière Partelaines“ is a unique terroir in many ways. Historically it was the preferred terroir for red grapes when planted in Chouilly. Today this full north exposed gentle slope is considered one of the earliest place where a wise vigneron should pick and many consider it as a friendly alternative to its Mont Aigu cousin for vintage blends… Surprisingly in our opinion “Derrière Partelaines“ produces a slow ripening, rich, almost awkwardly mineral and strict chardonnay. – Creation & Ageing – “Les Sillons“ refers to the gorges left in the earth by the plough and is a tribute to the men and women working with only quality in mind all year long. The grapes are among the last ones to be picked and the press is adapted with even gentler settings. The must ferments over the course of several weeks in two 20hl French Oak temperature controlled Foudres. The wine stays untouched for the next eight months and is neither thinned nor filtered. After the second fermentation in bottle, during the “on lees“ maturation each bottle is turned over several times to reintroduce the lees to the wine.