Taittinger’s Brut “La Française” contains an unusually high proportion of Chardonnay—40 percent—which gives it spine and nerve and durability despite its NV status. The cuvée includes 35 percent Pinot Noir and 25 percent Meunier, sourced from over 35 crus, 700 acres of which are owned by the house itself. It’s aged for four years on lees to develop texture and deep redolence.
The result is a wine with a complex, almost complicated disposition. Its quiet, persistent perlage offers aromas of wet stone, brioche, and green apple. The texture is creamy, with its exceptionally fine, pearly mousse fizzing into flavors of citrus, ginger, apple, field herbs, celery, and again, wet stone. The dosage beautifully balances the wine’s savoriness, crackly acidity, and serious, bitter catch. Elegant, intricate, and a little bit surprising, it’s a Brut with fine, clean lines and an acid-etched tracery of flowers and minerals and fruit.
12.5% abv | $45, Imported by Kobrand
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