96pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2020 Champagne Grand Cru Bouzy Les Maillerettes Extra Brut offers a deeper hue with a light pink tinge and reveals all the dark black fruit of cherries that Bouzy has to offer, along with the kirsch and violets. It leans toward full-bodied, but again, these wines are weightless, pure, and transparent, with a delicate but present mousse that flattens on the palate and a fantastic mineral texture that carries through the wine even in this fruity vintage. Like all the wines in this tasting, this was aged for 10 months in fût and spent 48 months in a cask, but the oak is beautifully integrated. The wine has a lot of energy and emotion, and the mousse is airy and pillowy, like a supporting cloud framing the wine. It has a more rounded, fruity texture, with fabulous length, and the savory notes of sanguine or subtle iodine and saline accent the finish, though the fruit never diminishes. Drink 2025-2050. 3 grams per liter dosage. Disgorged in December 2024.

Description

This powerful Pinot Noir Champagne comes from a less than 1/2 acre parcel in the grand cru of Bouzy planted in 1970 called Les Maillerettes. These old Pinot vines are the source for the massal selections used by the Paillard family for the rest of their plantations. This bottling, which will cellar for a very long time, also shows quite well right now. While I would not recommend this as a party bottle, graduates of Champagne will find one of the best expressions of real Pinot in this majestic wine.