Champagne Paul Launois, Single Barrel, Grand Cru Le Mesnil-sir-Oger, Champagne, France, 2017

Overview of the Wine
After generations of stewarding their vineyards and selling grapes to the village cooperative, the Launois family flipped the script and built a winery and cellar to produce grower Champagnes under the label Paul Launois. Julien Launois is the winemaker and generation behind the change, and he named the brand after his son Paul. Sarah, Julien's wife and Paul's mother, is the creative mind behind the branding, bringing the label to life through her art and graphic designs. In the couple's words, "Champagne Paul Launois is a love story, the love of a man and a woman, the love of wine and art, the love of a son and a family."

Grape / Blend 
100% Chardonnay

Origin
Champagne, France

Winemaker Notes
In 2017, Julien began with 10 barrels of five different toast levels, five of which underwent malolactic fermentation and five that did not. #1702 was the second barrel of the collection made up of 100% Chardonnay from the Haut d'Aillerand vineyard. The still wine aged 11 months in a single blond toast barrel was bottled in July 2018, then disgorged in November with a 3g/L dosage. A zip of acidity accentuates the white florals and clean citrus notes, upheld by the underlying rich flavors of custard and butter biscuits. Only 200 bottles were produced of this truly one-of-a-kind Champagne that exhibits slight smokiness and intense minerality on the palate.

Salinity, minerality and oak are the main characteristics of the wines obtained. The wood, although new, is melted and the aromas are exceptional.

97+ Points - The Wine Independent
Very pale straw-colored, the nose of the 2017 Single Barrel Grand Cru Le Mesnil Sur Oger #1702 Blanc de Blancs is a little shy to start off, revealing delicate notes of fresh pears, marzipan, lime blossoms, and chalk dust, leading into a core of yellow apples and coriander seed with a hint of baking bread.

The palate is so, so elegant and tightly wound, made to a very dry (extra brut) style with incredible tension, finishing long with loads of citrus and mineral sparks.

This Champagne is made under Paul Lanois’ “Single Barrel Champagne” program, whereby customers co-craft a single barrel of vintage Champagne from a selection of Lanois’ Grand Cru plots. This one was made by the California-based broker Kimberly Jones and sold through her distribution network, Kimberly Jones Selections. Made from 100% Chardonnay, this single barrel of Champagne comes from Launois' Haut d'Aillerand plot in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. It was made without malolactic and aged 11 months in the “SB1702” barrel. It was then bottled in July 2018 with a dosage of 3 grams per liter. It was disgorged in November 2023. The result is simply spectacular and well-worth the hunt.

Product size: 750ml