Doyard Champagne Cuvee Vendemiaire Brut Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs NV Magnum 1,5 l

Vendémiaire - auf Deutsch “Weinlesemonat“ - ist der erste Monat des republikanischen Kalenders der französischen Revolutuion, in dem die Monate nach Ereignissen benannt worden sind.
100 % Chardonnay aus Grand Crus und Premier Cru lagen aus Vertus, Avize, Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger und Cramant; durchschnittlich 40 Jahre alte Reben; nur das Herzstück des Mosts verwendet; 40 % in Barriques ausgebaut, 10 Monate auf der Feinhefe, teilweise Malolaktik, mindestens 4 Jahre auf der Hefe in der Flasche gelagert, Dosage 4g/l; degorgiert 05/25;

- 94 Punkte James Suckling (07/2026): " Spices, candied lemons, toasted bread and pastry on the expressive, layered nose. Soft and round on the palate yet quietly complex, with a creamy mousse, generous depth and a long, harmonious finish. Polished and complete. Drink or hold.“

- 4* GERHARD EICHELMANN:  "Die Cuvee Vendemiaire Brut Premier Cru ist ein reinsortiger Chardonnay von der Cote des Blancs, für den nur die Cuvee versendet wird. 40 % des Weines wird im Barrique ausgebaut, 20 % durchläuft die malolaktische Gärung, er enthält Reserveweine aus den beiden Vorjahren und wird mit mit 5Gramm dosiert. Sie ist rauchig und konzentriert im Bouquet, herrlich eindringlich, zeigt viel reife reintönige Frucht, etwas weiße Früchte. Im Mund ist sie klar, frisch und präzise, besitzt viel Biss, gute Struktur und Substanz, ist wunderschön zupackend, lang und enorm nachhaltig."

- "Hervorragend" WEINPLUS: „Straffe, herbe, deutlich hefige Nase mit feinen vegetabilen Aromen, Kernobst- und Zitrusnoten, nussigen Tönen, ein wenig gelber Würze, Weißbrot, Sternanis und Kreuzkümmel. Straffe, eher herbe, saftige Frucht, hefige, gelb-gewürzige, kreidige und florale Noten, hat Biss und Griff, nachhaltig, recht dicht, gute Tiefe, wieder etwas Weißbrot, angedeutet weißer Pfeffer, griffig und mit reichlich Zug, ganz leicht rotbeerige Nuancen, relativ komplex, sehr guter, straffer, saftiger und griffiger Abgang."

-  Magazin SommelierS International (10/2025): „Nose: elegant, with buttery, brioche scents. Palate: full-bodied, well-balanced, round and rich, the first taste is worthy of a fine Chardonnay.
Match with food: pan-fried foie gras, serve with fine quality food.
Comment: definitely try this wine for pure pleasure.“

- 92 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, William Kelley (8/2022): „Based on the 2017 vintage, complemented by reserve wines from 2016 and 2015, Doyard's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Vendémiaire (2017 base) delivers inviting aromas of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, almond paste and freshly baked bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate with tangy acids and a charming, giving profile, concluding with a bright, saline finish. No matter the base vintage, this bottling attains incredible consistency in terms of quality.“

- 92 Punkte Gismondi on Wine (11/2021): „The Doyard family traces their winemaking roots in Champagne back to 1677. Maurice Doyard was the first in the family to make wine in Vertus under the Doyard label in 1927, and in 1979, Yannick Doyard took over, turning it into a focused, mineral-etched Champagne in the Côtes des Blancs. Today, Yannick’s son Guillaume is at the helm, organically farming 10 hectares of vineyards in Vertus and the Grand Cru villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Oger, Avize and Aÿ. My bottle was disgorged in March 2021 with 4 g/L after 56 months in the cellar. This chardonnay blends 3 years, and is a mix of 1er Cru and Grand Cru fruit (primarily their home village of Vertus) with 40% fermented in wood, and 20% MLF. Very perfumed and elegant, with light pear, green apple, white blossom streaming along a deeply chalky base, with kisses of meringue. There's a lovely tension here, thanks to the soils and minimal handling, with just a slight creaminess thanks to judicious time in wood offsetting the racy acidity. The finish lingers with lemon pith and a buzzy mineral hum. Lovely energy here, drinking very smartly now, and with time ahead.“

- 91 Punkte JEB DUNNUCK, Audrey Frick (12/2025): “ Based in Vertus, the NV Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Vendemiaire Brut has a bright yellow hue. This release is based on the 2020 vintage and was aged for 45 months in the cellar before disgorgement with a 3 grams per liter dosage in March 2025. The nose is attractive and pure, though it has a ripe fruitiness upfront and is approachable with notes of fresh peach, poached citrus, fresh pastry, and a creamy suppleness of texture. The mousse is rounded and fills the palate, with a creamy texture and a refreshing lift on the finish. It’s a delightful, approachable wine that is highly versatile and can carry across seasons and meals. I loved pouring this by the glass in the fall, and I stand behind that today. Drink 2025-2035.“

- 93 Punkte WINESPECTATOR, Alison Napjus (2019): "Harmonious, with baked white cherry, star anise, ginger, almond and biscuit flavors carried on the delicate, creamy mousse."

- 92 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni (12/2019): "The NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Vendemiaire 1er Cru is soft, open-knit and wonderfully inviting. Citrus, white flowers, almonds and gently spiced notes are nicely woven together in this pretty, understated Champagne from Doyard. A touch of oak adds nuance without overpowering the wine's energy and precision. The current release is 50% 2013, 30% 2012 and 20% 2011, mostly from old vines in Vertus, with touches of fruit from a number of Grand Cru villages. This is a terrific showing. Disgorged: January 2019"

- ** PETER LIEM: "It’s silky and supple, feeling rich in texture yet remaining focused and sleekly sculpted by tense acidity. The flavors of pear, citrus and white peach are vibrant and precise, underlined by an intense note of chalk, and both fruit and mineral elements persist on the finish with length and grace, already exhibiting a subtly nuanced detail and complexity. This is a superb wine, and one of Doyard’s finest editions of this cuvée to date."

- 17 Punkte JANCIS ROBINSON: "Vertus grower. All Chardonnay. Very assertive with some apparent age. Four years on tirage. Serious for a Blanc de Blancs with sore throat soothing qualities. Depth, almost richness. Very complete. Something to get your teeth into."

- "Top 20 bottles of fizz for Christmas" in der britischen Zeitung TELEGRAPH:“A blanc de blancs in a fairly tight, dryish style. Lots of character and verve. A real find.“

- 93 Punkte WINESPECTATOR, Alison Napjus (2019): "Harmonious, with baked white cherry, star anise, ginger, almond and biscuit flavors carried on the delicate, creamy mousse."

- 92 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni (12/2019): "The NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Vendemiaire 1er Cru is soft, open-knit and wonderfully inviting. Citrus, white flowers, almonds and gently spiced notes are nicely woven together in this pretty, understated Champagne from Doyard. A touch of oak adds nuance without overpowering the wine's energy and precision. The current release is 50% 2013, 30% 2012 and 20% 2011, mostly from old vines in Vertus, with touches of fruit from a number of Grand Cru villages. This is a terrific showing. Disgorged: January 2019"

- 94 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, Stephan Reinhardt (8/2018): "The NV Brut Premier Cru Cuvée Vendémiaire is a Chardonnay from five villages of the Côte des Blancs but is mainly sourced in Vertus (50%). The recent disgorgement from early 2018 (dosage: four grams per liter) is based on the 2012 vintage and includes 50% of reserve wines from vintages 2011 down to 2008. Intensely citrus colored, this is a pure, fresh, concentrated, very mineral and pure Chardonnay that still offers greenish citrus flavors. With great finesse and complexity on the palate, it is very elegant and pure as well as very long and expressive, with intense, powerful and well-concentrated but fresh and highly finessed fruit and vitality. There is lots of energy and tension here, lots of expression and length. Great complexity and vitality. This has huge aging potential. A great wine, indeed.

Yannick Doyard, who had to retake the helm of the 11-hectare family domaine in Vertus after the tragic death of his then 31-year-old son Charles one year ago, presented a fantastic quintet of Champagnes during a speed-meeting in Cramant earlier this year. What a memorable legacy from Charles and Yannick Doyard! There might be not many better cuvées in the Côte des Blancs at this price level than Doyard's Premier Cru Cuvée Vendémiaire. (…)
Doyard has holdings in prestigious grand crus and premier crus such as Vertus, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Avize, Cramant, Aÿ and Dizy. The majority (90%) is Chardonnay, and just one hectare is Pinot Noir. The vines are 40 years old (on average), and the yields are kept very low. Since only the very best grapes are processed, the annual production is just 40,000 bottles.The wines are partly vinified in used oak barrels and kept on the lees until March. Malolactic fermentation is blocked, but the second fermentation is under natural cork, which softens the texture a bit and underlines the vinous, elegant character of the enormously concentrated, vital wines that will get even better with age."