Doyard Champagne Clos de l'Abbaye Premier Cru 2018 Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

Die Chardonnay-Trauben für diesen Champagner kommen aus einer 0,5 Hektar kleinen Parzelle, die 1956 bestockt wurde. Der kalkhaltige Boden und die isolierte Lage bedingen eine frühe Reife der Trauben. Bloß 35 bis 40 Hektoliter werden pro Hektar gelesen und nur die erste Pressung wird im Holz ausgebaut und für diesen Champagner verwendet – ohne Chaptalisation und ohne malolaktische Gärung. 

- 95 Punkte, Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, William Kelley (12/2023): „Offering up aromas of crisp stone fruits, pear, buttered toast, musky peach and smoke, the 2018 Extra-Brut Premier Cru Clos de l'Abbaye was disgorged this year with two grams per liter dosage. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with a nicely concentrated core of fruit, racy acids and a long, chalky finish, the 2018 is quite a fine-boned, elegant rendition of this bottling. As readers will remember, this cuvée derives from a walled 0.4-hectare plot of 60-year-old cordon-pruned vines (including some "muscaté" selections of Chardonnay) just behind the winery in Vertus, and only the first and second "serres" of the press are used. Drink Date: 2023-2040“
This estate is blessed with 10 hectares of prime holdings in Versus, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Avize, Cramant and Aÿ; and their vines—some of which are cordon-pruned and all of which are farmed without herbicides or pesticides—produce intensely concentrated grapes that are selectively pressed and vinified in wood. Following the premature passing of his brother Charles (whose lieu-dit bottlings finally saw disgorgement this year), it's Guillaume Doyard who presides here, producing deep, concentrated and characterful Champagnes. He's also devoting considerable energy to the production of still wines, refining his cooperage choices and nurturing a parcel of recently planted Burgundian massal selection Pinot Noir in Vertus with ambitious plans for red wine.

Bewertungen für den Jahrgang 2017:
- PETER LIEM über Clos de l’Abbaye allgemein: “In 2008, Doyard made a wine exclusively from a half-hectare of vines located in a walled parcel behind the estate in Vertus, called the Clos de l'Abbaye. Most of the vines here were planted in 1956, and today the parcel is worked biodynamically and plowed by horse rather than tractor. This is an early-ripening vineyard, which Doyard says is never affected by rot, and it produces grapes of exceptional maturity and character. The wine is vinified entirely in barrel, and while it's vintage-dated, Doyard plans to make this every year, in order to show the personality of the site over time.”

- 94 Punkte Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, William Kelley (8/22): „Despite the challenging vintage, the 2017 Extra-Brut Premier Cru Clos de l'Abbaye has turned out very well, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, lemon pith, freshly baked bread, white flowers and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with a typically vinous, structured profile, it's deep and satiny, with tangy acids and chalky structure, concluding with a long finish.“ 2023-2035

- 92 Punkte, TIM ATKIN, Tom Hewson Champagne 2022 Special Report: „100% Chardonnay from a single parcel in Vertus. Some focused, roasted citrus energy and fleshy yellow fruits here, with sweet whitecurrants, toasted nut richness and a little grippy heat on the finish.“