Region: Champagne, Avize
Variety: Chardonnay (100%)
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
The Wine
Disgorged: July 2024 · Zero dosage
Single-parcel, micro-cuvée from Avize’s La Fosse aux Pourceaux (0.3 ha)
A very special wine from a very special plot: a tiny, chalk-rich section of La Fosse near the village (in contrast to the more clay-influenced Avizoise). Vines planted in 1959—extremely old by Champagne standards—yield minute quantities each year. The cuvée takes its name from Vénus, the Boulonnais mare that first ploughed the vineyard.
While Avizoise is a Côte des Blancs benchmark, Vénus takes everything up a notch: greater depth, grip and phenolic power, matched by finesse and stony, mineral intensity—think a Côte des Blancs Chevalier-Montrachet. The 2018 vintage shows the site’s magic in full: otherworldly vibrancy, finesse and sheer drinkability.
Treat it like a great white: serve in proper stems (a Burgundy glass is ideal), decant when young, and pair with serious cuisine. It will reward two to three years’ further cellaring—at least.
Cellared Says
A Côte des Blancs benchmark. Vénus 2018 is a chalk-charged, tightly coiled thoroughbred that marries power with crystalline precision—an essential cellar piece for collectors chasing grand cru terroir classics. This isn’t really Champagne, is it? The parallels with Montrachet are clear, this is as fine, svelte, powerful and complex a wine as you could get. It just also happens to have a super fine bead of bubble to elevate it further. Wonderful, life affirming stuff.
Wine Reviews
Region: Champagne, Avize
Variety: Chardonnay (100%)
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
The Wine
Disgorged: July 2024 · Zero dosage
Single-parcel, micro-cuvée from Avize’s La Fosse aux Pourceaux (0.3 ha)
A very special wine from a very special plot: a tiny, chalk-rich section of La Fosse near the village (in contrast to the more clay-influenced Avizoise). Vines planted in 1959—extremely old by Champagne standards—yield minute quantities each year. The cuvée takes its name from Vénus, the Boulonnais mare that first ploughed the vineyard.
While Avizoise is a Côte des Blancs benchmark, Vénus takes everything up a notch: greater depth, grip and phenolic power, matched by finesse and stony, mineral intensity—think a Côte des Blancs Chevalier-Montrachet. The 2018 vintage shows the site’s magic in full: otherworldly vibrancy, finesse and sheer drinkability.
Treat it like a great white: serve in proper stems (a Burgundy glass is ideal), decant when young, and pair with serious cuisine. It will reward two to three years’ further cellaring—at least.
Cellared Says
A Côte des Blancs benchmark. Vénus 2018 is a chalk-charged, tightly coiled thoroughbred that marries power with crystalline precision—an essential cellar piece for collectors chasing grand cru terroir classics. This isn’t really Champagne, is it? The parallels with Montrachet are clear, this is as fine, svelte, powerful and complex a wine as you could get. It just also happens to have a super fine bead of bubble to elevate it further. Wonderful, life affirming stuff.
Wine Reviews
