2011 Champagne Penet-Chardonnet, Les Epinettes, Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru, Verzy, Extra Brut

Picked 27 August 2011. Bottled 20 April 2012. Disgorged 7 August 2020. Dosage 4.8 g/l. Single Verzy vineyard of 42-year-old Pinot Noir vines that faces north-west, as 120 m. No oak, no malo.It has a most unusual, emphatic nose with a certain roasted savoury quality to it. Hugely distinctive. And it's not just the autolysis. It is pretty marked but not intrusive acidity, of a citrus sort. Really intriguing and very much not a casual sipper. Actually, despite the low dosage, the finish is positively rich! Very tight and tense but already gives huge pleasure. Demands attention.Drink 2021 - 2027jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (August 2021)

A well-structured, vibrant blanc de noirs showing aromas of red apples, walnuts, bread crust and grapefruit peel. Dry and focused, with a medium body, lively acidity and tight bubbles. Refreshing at the end. 100% Pinot Noir. Disgorged April 2021. 4.8g/L dosage. Drink nowjames_suckling, jamessuckling_com (August 2023)