NV Vouette et Sorbee 'Textures' - CHAMPAGNE, France. 750ml
(R17, disgorged September 2019). Textures is one of Gautherot’s newest cuvée; a rare, 100% Pinot Blanc Champagne crafted from vines in the Fonnet vineyard (planted between 1995 and 2000). Gautherot describes it as his “easiest” wine, i.e. the one that is the easiest to drink young. There is certainly more pulpy texture (hence the name), more fruit, and easier-going refreshment than in his Blanc d’Argile. There is also ample intensity and a great deal of poise and interest on offer, and a complexity that comes from the aging.
The grapes were fermented and raised in (buried) large Georgian amphora and used oak barrels, as well as a couple of Italian dolia, for roughly nine months before blending. The bulbous-shaped amphora (crafted by the last Georgian family specialising is this particular shape) affords Gautherot the kind of lees contact and minimal oxidation he is looking for. A portion of the fruit was fermented and macerated on skins. After blending, the wine then spent roughly 18 months on lees in bottle.
This is a unique, one-of-a-kind expression of the Côte des Bar. You can expect candied citrus, floral and ripe lemon aromas and flavours, a generous, not-quite-creamy palate and a twist of gentle, refreshing bitterness on the close.
