Champagne Extra Brut
Empreinte Noire 2011

The Champagne Empreinte Noire by Eric Rodez is among the deepest and most textural interpretations of Pinot Noir from Ambonnay, a Grand Cru village that stands as an emblem of the Montagne de Reims and of the savoir-faire of a vigneron who has combined technical rigour and artistic sensibility for decades. The grapes, selected and harvested across five historic lieux-dits, Les Beurys, Les Genettes, La Goisse, Les Bouités and Le Moulin (lieu-dit), give life to the darkest and most vibrant voice of the Empreinte collection, a mosaic of terroirs and harvests devoted to capturing the inner light of every soil.

This edition, Vintage 2011, is born from a vinification and maturation carried out entirely in small oak barrels, without malolactic fermentation, filtration or cold treatments, so as to preserve the vibration of the terroir fully intact. After the tirage comes an ageing of more than 10 years on the lees, while the final dosage of just 1.5 g/l, in an Extra Brut style, underlines its transparency and precision in perfect balance between power and finesse.

On tasting, Empreinte Noire 2011 reveals an intense golden colour with coppery reflections, the prelude to a broad and layered substance in which dark, ripe fruit converses with toasted hazelnut, spiced bread and delicate smoky nuances over a base of chalky minerality. On the palate it is full and structured, sustained by a vibrant acidic backbone that balances its generosity, with an ultra-fine bead and a long, savoury finish returning to sweet spices and dried fruit.