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V A R N I E R - F A N N I È R E
100% Grand Cru Grower Champagne
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BRITISH COLUMBIA
June 26, 2013
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Varnier-Fannière
'Cuvée St Denis' Brut, Grand Cru
Non Vintage
VARIETAL: 100% Chardonnay
REGION: Champagne, FRANCE
PRICE: $74.00/bottle
FORMAT: 6 x 750 ml
AVAILABLE: 10 six-packs
DRINKABILITY: now - 8 years
93 POINTS - Wine Advocate (November 2012, erobertparker #1112)
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The weight of this old vine parcel in Avize comes through in the NV Brut Grand Cru Cuvee St. Denis. A wine of considerable depth and richness, the Cuvee St. Denis wraps around the palate with serious power. Dried flowers, nectarines, peaches and a hint of nutmeg are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. A round, creamy finish supported by insistent veins of minerality rounds things out in style. The Cuvee St. Denis is 100% Chardonnay, 65% 2007 and 35% 2006, from 70+ year-old vines in Avize. Disgorgement date: May 16, 2012. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017.
I was deeply struck by the Champagnes I tasted from Varnier-Fanniere this year. These fine, handcrafted wines are bursting with class and personality. Great Champagne is never inexpensive, but these three wines all deliver outstanding value. Readers should do whatever they can to check out the Champagnes of this small estate in Avize." 92 POINTS - Stephen Tanzer (December 2012) "(100% chardonnay from a single parcel of vines in Avize that are reportedly over 70 years old; 65% of the blend is from 2007 and the rest from 2006; disgorged May 16, 2012): Pale, green-tinged yellow. Mineral-tinged lemon and green apple flavors are complicated by notes of iodine, white flowers and mace. Sappy and taut on the palate, offering racy citrus fruit flavors that flesh out in the mid-palate. Shows impressive energy and lift on the clinging finish, which leaves chalky mineral and citrus zest notes behind."
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Denis Varnier
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FOUR HECTARES, ALL GRAND CRU:
Denis Varnier is a young vigneron in Champagne making tiny quantities of wine from Grand Cru vineyards. The history of the estate dates back to 1860 when the Fannière family grew grapes and sold them to the Champagne negociant houses. It was only in 1950 that the family started producing Champagne under their own name. In 1989 Denis Varnier took over the vineyards and the house we know today was born.
Varnier-Fannière is a tiny, 4 hectare domaine of exclusively Grand Cru vineyards in Avize, Oger and Cramant which continually produces outstanding Champagne. His annual production is 2,500 cases in total!
Varnier-Fannière's Champagnes are archetypal examples of grower Champagne. The wines are distinctly individual, precise, and clean. Winemaking is artisanal and old-fashioned, including full malolactic fermentations and the back- straining operation of an old Coquard press. Interestingly, the wines are bottled at about 10-15% less pressure than most producers. Denis loves the vinous quality that this practice lends to the finished wines. This is a precious example of how sunshine and superb limestone terroir can produce 100% chardonnay Champagne that is full of flavour yet supremely elegant.
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