Haute Couture Grand Cru Extra Brut 2021 Frederic Savart

Tasting Note Haute Couture Grand Cru Extra Brut 2021

Initially, aromas of lemon zest and crushed chalk emerge. The effervescence is delicate rather than coarse. On the palate, Chardonnay offers a rich, full-bodied mid-palate, but the acidity tightly binds all the elements together; with almost no sugar to balance it, the finish is completely dry. It's best enjoyed now with food rather than saved for later.

Grape Varieties

The grapes are grown in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, where the Chardonnay, cultivated in chalky soil, tends to exhibit citrus notes and a sense of tension. These are the defining characteristics of this wine.

Cellaring Potential

With a sugar content of only 2 grams per liter, there is nothing to soften the palate in the wine's youth, so acidity plays the leading role. It is best enjoyed by 2034. Serve at 10-12°C in a white wine glass rather than a flute. Decanting is not necessary.

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

Northern France was once submerged beneath an inland sea; what remains today is chalk, which emerges in clumps here and there among the vines. Chalk drains quickly and stores heat during the day, releasing it at night. In the Côte des Blancs, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger serves as the Grand Cru for Chardonnay, which is situated directly on top of that subsoil. This manifests in Haute Couture as tension caused by salinity rather than weight. Savart's own vines are located elsewhere, such as Écueil and Villers-aux-Nœuds, which are situated in Montagne de Reims.

Winemaking

Here, malolactic fermentation is neither accelerated nor hindered. Since Savart neither induces nor blocks this process, whatever occurs proceeds at its own pace. Throughout the winery, most base wines are stored in stainless steel tanks, but over the years, the proportion aged in barriques (small oak barrels) has gradually increased. The dosage is 2 grams per liter. Extra Brut is virtually completely dry, with nothing added to soften the flavor.

Food Pairing

Oysters are the most obvious choice and pair well thanks to the wine's salinity and low dosage. Other pairings include:

• Scallops, seared, nothing more than butter
• Sole meunière, where the acidity cuts the browned butter
• Sushi and sashimi
• If cheese is called for, a plate of young Comté

The flavors derived from oak aging pair better with fish dishes served with sauce than with most Blanc de Blancs wines.