Expression Blanc Brut Nature 2021 Frederic Savart

Tasting Note Expression Blanc Brut Nature 2021

Stone fruit aromas are the first to emerge: dried apricot and freshly squeezed tangerine, followed by warm brioche notes and subtle floral hints. The influence of oak barrel fermentation is evident more in the texture than in oak-derived aromas. On the palate, Expression Blanc Brut Nature 2021 is concentrated and full-bodied, yet completely free of sweetness, so clean it almost feels salty. The low yield accounts for this concentration. The finish is long, dry, and clean.

Grape Varieties

100% Pinot Noir, a blanc de noirs, a white wine made from black grapes, is the variety for which the Montagne de Reims region is well-known. Pinot Noir lends this wine body and a flavor profile that transitions from red fruit to stone fruit.

Cellaring Potential

Best enjoyed by 2034. Zero dosage means there is no sugar to soften the palate, so acidity and pure concentration take the place of sugar as the wine ages. Serve at 10-12°C in a white wine glass rather than a flute. Allowing it to breathe briefly in a decanter will help the aromas unfold more fully.

About Frederic Savart

Frédéric Savart nearly became a footballer instead of a winemaker. He signed a youth contract with Stade de Reims as an attacking midfielder, then turned down a transfer and went home to Écueil, a Pinot Noir village on the Montagne de Reims. Since 2005 he has run the family's 4 hectares, third generation after his grandfather René, who bought the first vines in 1947, and his father Daniel. Almost everything is Pinot Noir; Chardonnay accounts for just 0.5 hectares. Out of that small holding come nearly 12 cuvées, mostly parcel-driven, with Premier Cru and Grand Cru on the labels. Farming is preventive rather than curative. Malolactic fermentation is neither pushed nor blocked, and dosage stays low, with Extra Brut and Brut Nature common. The cellar is small and low-tech. Few estates bottle this many wines from so little land.

Terroir & Climate

The chalky soil left behind by the inland sea that once covered the northern part of France lies beneath Écueil. This soil drains quickly and stores daytime heat, releasing it at night, a crucial factor in this region, which is the coolest wine-growing area in France. Expression Blanc is produced from five very small vineyards, all in this Premier Cru village on the Montagne de Reims, which is well-known for its Pinot Noir with exceptional structure. That structure is precisely the grip felt on the palate.

Winemaking

At Savart, the vins clairs are fermented in oak barrels ranging from 350 to 600 liters in capacity, many of which are new. Because they use large oak barrels rather than barriques, the oak adds breadth without a vanilla coating. Malolactic fermentation may or may not occur naturally; the winemaker neither induces nor prevents it. The wine then undergoes 10 months of aging sur lie. Vintage cuvées are aged with cork stoppers instead of crown caps to slow oxygen exchange. Dosage: 0 g/l.

Food Pairing

Blanc de noirs pairs best with poultry dishes; roast chicken with its own pan juices, in particular, is an excellent match because the wine's full body can handle the richness of the fat well. It also pairs well with the following dishes:

• Veal: Plainly roasted
• Scallops: Dishes with a well-seared exterior
• Comté: As a matured wine, its dry finish helps balance out salty flavors