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Les Vins du Siècle est un grand site fédérateur, bilingue et mondial. Dans toute la France, « triés sur le volet », les meilleurs producteurs (la très grande majorité ayant l’exclusivité de leur appellation) sont retenus pour la typicité des vins, leur rapport qualité-prix-plaisir, l'expression de leur terroir et leur passion de vignerons.

Pas de vins à la mode, surcôtés ou de "jus de bois" dans Les Vins du Siècle. La typicité d’un vin, ce n’est rien d’autre que l’association d’un sol, d’un micro-climat, d’une plante et d’un homme. On ne peut aimer un vin qu’en appréciant celui qui le fait. Derrière une étiquette, il y a un viticulteur (ou une viticultrice) et c’est fondamental de ne pas les dissocier. Bien sûr, les sols ont une influence considérable et, dans chaque territoire, dans chaque commune, le vigneron fait la différence avec son voisin.

Il ne s’agit donc pas seulement de faire du bon vin, ce que tout le monde peut faire, mais surtout d’élever de vrais vins racés, reconnaissables entre mille, qui sentent ce “fumé” bourguignon, déploient ce “velours” libournais, ces senteurs alsaciennes, cette “chair” en Médoc ou à Châteauneuf, cette “minéralité” à Pouilly ou à Meursault, cette fraîcheur en Champagne comme dans nos grands liquoreux.

HALL OF FAME

CHAMPAGNE LAURENT-GABRIEL

AVENAY

In 1982, Daniel Laurent took over the family estate from his parents. His father used only a tiny part of his harvest for making his Champagne for a few friends and clients, the rest of the grapes being sold to traders. In Autumn 1982, Daniel decided to produce his own Champagne, with the assistance of his wife, and they registered their present trademark, "Champagne Laurent-Gabriel". The estate is a very small one, 2.5 hectares of vines producing about 18,000 bottles of Champagne per year. The vines are located in two places - 90% in Avenay Val d'Or, classified as a Premier Cru and Avize classified as a Grand Cru. Remarkable Champagne cuvée Prestige Millésime 2000 (80% Pinot noir, 20% Chardonnay), resulting from a wine making without malolactic fermentation and cold passage, maturing approximately 6 months out of barrels of oak, where all the complexity of the Pinot noir, is expressed, a generous and elegant Champagne, of persistent foam, very fruity, a vintage of a nice aromatic intensity (brioche, peach), full with the nose as in mouth. The Champagne brut Carte d’Or (75% Pinot noir, 15% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot meunier, coming from the years 2006 and 2007 and years of reserve), is all in aromas, with this nose of fresh small fruits, of lime and almond, a beautiful suave Champagne, of delicate foam, mixing roundness and nervousness, very out of structure, of a beautiful final. The cuvée Grande Réserve brut (75% Pinot noir, 15% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot meunier, year 2005 with wines of reserve, without malolactic fermentation, cold passage, and a passage from 4 to 6 months out of barrels of oak), traditional and quite well-balanced, of fruity mouth, a Champagne very harmonious, generous and charmer, powerful with the palate.

DOMAINE FRANCOIS BERTHEAU

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY

This family winegrowing was taken again by François Bertheau in 2004. It represents the fifth generation to exploit this vineyard of 6.22 ha. The vines are 45 years old on average. the maturing is done out of barrels (including 20 to new wood 30%) for one 18 months duration, the wine, not filtered, will be marketed approximately 6 months after its setting in bottles. “The 2011 were marked by one early spring, a summer not particularly beautiful, and a very beautiful back season, tells us François Bertheau. These weather conditions gave very good performances, with on the other hand a vigilance with the control of the temperatures in wine making. The quantities are, with something near, similar to 2010. Although it is still a little early, this vintage 2011 appears quite well-balanced, perhaps better than the 2010, of which it seems to be first cousin with character and much of fruit, perhaps a little more steady and more tannic. It will surely be of guard. For a vine grower it is a beautiful year as we like them.” While waiting, there is its superb Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes 2009, scented, associating richness and smoothness, concentrated and fleshy, with tannins quite present, a sure value. Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses 2008 remarkable, with tannins tasty and rich, generous, is at the same time coloured and fullbodied, with this quite fleshy and attractive mouth prevailed by the stone-fruits and cinnamon. Taste Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru 2008, which is an assembly of 4 pieces, very well-balanced, very scented (fresh ripe red small fruits, humus…), with this point of morello cherry characteristic of the appellation, a very full wine, of beautiful intensity, guard. Chambolle-Musigny 2009, with the complex nose with notes of ripe red fruits and liquorice, concentrate to the nose as in mouth.

CHATEAU DES PEYREGRANDES

FAUGERES

Family winegrowing of 25 ha since 5 generations, Marie-Geneviève Boudal-Benezech and her sons perpetuates the tradition and the destiny of the Winegrowing since 1995. Quality orders the control of our vines, our estate is qualified under l' Agriculture raisonnée. The wines are very typified “Faugères”: a great richness aromatic, much of structure, large smoothnesses of tannins. Our goal is to transmit to the consumer the typicity of this appellation, by working out wines resulting from assembly and in constant research from balance between the powerfull and the smoothness. In fact, as in a work of art, we try to transmit through our products, the love and the passion which we have for our area, our vines and our wine. The winegrowing estate is an exploitation qualified with the title of the agriculture reasoned, according to the step Terra Vitis and in biological conversion. “2013: cold time, from where later grape harvest which finished on October 15th, tells us Marie-Genevieve Boudal-Benezech. There was run-out on Grenaches but of very good Syrahs. They are concentrated, fruity, for ageing wines. 2014: early maturity, the white and the rosé are aromatic, fresh, elegant, the reds have a little more freshness. ” It is the occasion to enjoy this superb Faugères cuvée Marie Laurencie 2011, Grenache 40%, Syrah 40%, Mourvèdre 10%, Carignan 10%, output of 25 hl/ha… That gives this wine of beautiful intensity, with the flavors of cooked black fruits, pepper and leather, with velvety but powerful tannins, of complex, for ageing mouth. Faugères Prestige 2011 (40% Syrah, 40% Carignan and 20% Mourvèdre, on the slopes of Serre, arid slope on the heights of the southern full exposed village vis-a-vis the sea), partly high out of barrels, is faithful to itself, the blackcurrant and spice nose ripe, fleshy, of color supported, intense crimson in mouth, with silky tannins. Faugères cuvée Charlotte 2011, 80% Syrah, 10% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, with the nose dominated by the cooked red small fruits (currant, strawberry) and of the notes of underwood, is slightly peppered with the palate, firm and silky tannins at the same time, of cordial mouth. Also taste Faugères blanc 2013, Roussane 60%, Marsanne 30%, Grenache white 10%, of a beautiful floral intensity, charmer, with the nose from vervain, which associates smoothness and structure, complex, with a finale all in smoothness and fruity, and Faugères red 2012, 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache, coloured and quite constructed, with the nose dominated by the red small fruits with core, of tasty mouth.

CHATEAU DE CHANTEGRIVE

GRAVES

Thanks to the patient reconstruction work carried out by Françoise and Henri Lévêque over the last 40 years, Château de Chantegrive has become a superb vineyard with excellent soils composed of a mixture of pebbles and fine sand on a clay-limestone structure. The vines are over 30 years old and are mostly planted on south-facing terraces and hilltops which provide excellent exposure to the sun and good ventilation - ideal for making quality wines. Château Chantegrive is managed by a pleasant family who are devoted to their profession, take the greatest care in their work and are attentive to the customer and the quality of the wines produced. "We like to produce elegant, top-quality wines with strong local character", says Françoise Lévêque. Their Caroline is a prestigious wine. We are quickly charmed by this rich, intense wine, matured in new barrels, with its lovely golden colour and intense, elegant nose of vanilla, fresh butter, lemon, griled almond and lime. The wine is smooth with a clean attack in the mouth dominated by fruit and flesh.

CHAMPAGNE BERNARD LONCLAS

BASSUET

Located in the middle of the typical village of Bassuet, surrounded by the slopes where the invaluable ground is favourable with the culture of Chardonnay, Maison Lonclas was founded in 1976 by Bernard Lonclas. This owner impassioned by the ground and the wine, is assisted today by his Aurélie daughter. One combines here learnedly traditional know-how with current technologies: rigorous selection of the grapes during the grape harvest, material of before guard as well for pressing as within the stainless fermenting room thermobabbited. That gives this brut Champagne Vintage 2006, old vines, majority Chardonnay (80%), supplemented by Pinot meunier, scented, with the aromas of hazel nut and nectarine, with the subtle and persistent nose, very fresh, of nice foam. The vintage Prestige Extra-dry, grapes resulting from a compartmental selection of vines best exposed to weak yields, assembly for 2/3 of Chardonnay and 1/3 Pinot meunier, with this point of freshness and fruity characteristic, very persistent stops, is ideal on a smoked salmon. Excellent brut Blanc de blancs, pure Chardonnay, the tradition of the house, with the flowered bouquet, with nuances of hazel nut and honey, combining suppleness and structure, a powerful wine, all in smoothness.