At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Champagne
- Core style
- Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs and Extra Brut or Brut Nature cuvées
- Signature cuvée
- Expérience 19 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
- Defining practice
- Organic viticulture, with Vénus worked by horse and by hand
The Producer
Ambroise Agrapart now leads the fifth generation of the family business, following his father Pascal's four decades of leadership. Production stays below 5,400 cases a year, and many vines are more than 60 years old.
The estate farms organically without official certification. Ploughing and compost made from local ingredients form part of the vineyard work. Pascal Agrapart works the soils so the roots go deep. In the cellar, fermentation with wild yeasts, separate parcel work and extended ageing on lees keep the wines close to their vineyard origins.
Place
Champagne is the region behind these cuvées, and the labels use Grand Cru and Blanc de Blancs to name both place level and wine style. Grand Cru is Champagne's highest village classification. Blanc de Blancs means a white sparkling wine made from white grapes.
Expérience 19, Avizoise, Minéral and Vénus are listed as Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru wines. Complantée is listed as Extra Brut Grand Cru, while Terroirs is listed as Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs.
Wines
The range moves between Brut Nature and Extra Brut cuvées. Expérience 19 and Vénus are Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru wines. Avizoise and Minéral are Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru wines. Complantée is Extra Brut Grand Cru, and Terroirs is Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs. Brut Nature indicates zero dosage, while Extra Brut is a dry category with some dosage permitted.
Expérience 19 shows deeply mineral chalk, tangy green apple and greengage plum mixed with sea air. The Vénus cuvée comes from the horse worked parcel of the same name, while Avizoise and Minéral occupy the Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs part of the range.
Final Word
Vénus is a parcel worked by horse and by hand. Across the range, the labels name Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Nature and Extra Brut styles.