Champagne Extra Brut
Collection d'Auteur 2016

The Champagne Collection d’Auteur by André Robert is the most ambitious selection of the Domaine, a cuvée from the Grand Cru of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger that brings together some of the finest lieux-dits of the village, Les Vaucherots, Les Coullemets du Midi, Les Finciarts and Les Chetillons. Old vines of around 40 years of age planted on pure chalk, which retains high acidity even at full ripeness, give rise to a Blanc de Blancs designed for depth and long ageing.

This edition, Vintage 2016, comes from a year marked by April frosts and a rainy early summer, rescued by the August heat, and from a careful selection of low-yielding Chardonnay grapes. Vinification and fermentation take place in used French oak barriques with indigenous yeasts and without malolactic fermentation, followed by around 9 months of maturation. After tirage, the wine ages for around 7 years on the lees, and the final dosage of 1.5 g/l, in Extra Brut style, preserves the full tension of the vintage.

On tasting, Collection d’Auteur 2016 opens with aromas of fresh butter, lightly toasted bread, fresh nuts and citrus marmalade, evolving towards notes of brioche in a broad and well-defined aromatic profile, with the oak perfectly integrated. On the palate it is vinous and pure, with a full structure supported by vibrant acidity and a clear saline edge, and it closes with a long, fresh persistence that confirms its balance between depth and finesse.