Julien Duval-Leroy and Sandrine Logette-Jardin, the Cellar master at Maison Duval-Leroy, have just announced that the vins clairs produced by the champagne house in 2014 are of outstanding quality. These base wines ready to be blended are early indicators of the quality of the harvest each year. “From the start of picking, we knew these excellent grapes would produce wines for ageing with tension, sincerity and precision”, Sandrine explains.
The decision at Maison Duval-Leroy was unanimous: 2014 would be a vintage year. The lemon and lime aromas of the Chardonnays reveal a maturity typical of contemporary wines, whilst the Pinot Noirs enjoyed optimum climatic conditions which released their superb maturity. Two exceptional champagnes will be created: Femme de Champagne 2014 and Femme de Champagne Rosé de Saignée 2014.
The many tastings of the vins clairs allowed each wine’s specific characteristics to be defined, pinpointing the unique qualities of each one:
Clos des Bouveries 2014 (Vertus, a Premier Cru of the Côte des Blancs) offers pure, linear tension, enveloped in a vinous concentration with a nose of flint, lime and grapefruit. The historic parcel owned by the Duval-Leroy family will be vinified and aged until July. Half will be fermented in stainless steel tanks, half in barrels of three to six years of age.
The 2014 Chardonnays reveal exquisitely fine floral aromas. They will require at least three years cellaring to reach their potential. Their impressive balance brings to the fore a finely honed acidity magnificently integrated into a richly vinous ensemble. The parcels Chetillons, Coullemets and Volibarts (in Mesnil sur Oger, a Grand Cru of the Côte des Blancs) express fine white floral notes.
The 2014 Pinot Noirs, uplifted also by the outstanding maturity and sanitary condition of the grapes, reveal delicately concentrated fruity notes, underpinned by a vinous and acidulous structure of excellent length. The parcel ‘Cochemonts’, in Aÿ in Champagne (Grand Cru of the Vallée de la Marne) is a perfect illustration of the 2014 vintage, bringing elegant fruit to the finely structured vinosity, enhanced by a vinification in ten year old wooden barrels.
The blending committee overseen by the Duval-Leroy family has completed the blend of Fleur de Champagne Brut Premier Cru; an elegant and very persistent aperitif champagne. Thanks to the richness and diversity of its Premier and Grand Cru vineyards, Maison Duval-Leroy intends to perpetuate Raymond Duval-Leroy’s legacy through the production of a Fleur de champagne Brut Premier Cru. Resolutely forward looking yet solidly rooted in tradition, Duval Leroy can be proud of its permanent quest for perfection.
