Champagne Vazart-Coquart, established in the 19th century, produce only single cru champagnes from their 11-hectare estate in Champagne's largest Grand Cru village, Chouilly. Being the Côte des Blancs, mainly Chardonnay is grown here, with just 4.5-hectares of Pinot Noir planted in the whole village. Only a handful of independent growers in the region can boast ownership of a Pinot Noir plot in Chouilly: and Vazart-Coquart are one of them. Vazart-Coquart were just the third producer to be awarded the highest level of environmental certification in 2012.

Vazart-Coquart Blanc de Blancs is an elegant blend of pure Chardonnay with a low dosage and a minimum of four years ageing on the lees. The juice is fermented in terracotta amphora, the shape of these oval vessels create a natural movement of the liquids so the lees are gently distributed throughout the wine. This adds a rounding character to how we perceive the palate and there is no need for any malolactic as the richness comes from the lees. A blend of several years, the 25% reserve wines are from a perpetual reserve implemented by Jacques Vazart in 1982. Very limited quantities are produced each year, with maximum annual production at 3,000 bottles. All the grapes come from their own 11 hectare estate in the Grand Cru village of Chouilly.

Weather: A wet winter and mild spring gave way to an exceptionally dry summer from mid-May onwards. Hot weather prevailed until mid-August, when the skies opened again. Rains gave way to fine, cool, yet sunny weather for the first two weeks of harvest, which commenced on August 29th. The 2015 vintage has a lot of common denominators with the 2003 vintage but the 2015s are showing a better balance of weight and freshness with their average potential alcohol level of 10.5% and total acidity of 6.9 g/l. The quality and ageing capacity of the vintage has been questioned because of the low acidity, but to me the structure of the wine is not the problem. An average vintage and we need to see more releases before we will know for sure how good the big names will be in 2015.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand Cru Chouilly | Single vineyard of L'Aventure
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Fermentation: Aged in an Oval Terracotta Tank and no malolactic fermentation
Ageing: 3 years on the lees
Disgorged: November 2019
Dosage: 2.5 g/l
Drink: Now to 2025

Tasting Note: Pale yellow gold color. The nose expresses the juiciness of yellow stone fruits as well as the richness of dried fruits. It evolves towards the expression of chalk and notes of candied yellow zest. On the palate, the texture is fine like limestone. Aromatics of tropical fruits evoke butter and hazelnut with a long finish.

Champagne Vazart-Coquart produce only single cru champagnes from their 11-hectare estate in Champagne's largest Grand Cru village, Chouilly. Being the Côte des Blancs, mainly Chardonnay is grown here, with just 4.5-hectares of Pinot Noir planted in the whole village. Only a handful of independent growers in the region can boast ownership of a Pinot Noir plot in Chouilly: and Vazart-Coquart are one of them.

Established in the 19th century, this independent grower has developed quickly into a respected producer. Current owner Jean-Pierre Vazart values eco-friendly winemaking and Vazart-Coquart were just the third producer to be awarded the highest level of environmental certification in 2012. His multiple vineyard sites, with many variations of soil and exposure, produce different wines for the domaine. Vinification is based on small tanks to capture this variation and only stainless-steel is used, producing a unique style of mineral delicacy and buttery, floral fruit: the signature of Chouilly.

Cellar Master: Jean-Pierre Vazart
Winery Location: Chouilly | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Côte des Blancs
Annual Production (bottles): 80,000