Lenoble - Gentilhomme Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne Grand Cru 2013 (750ml)

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Price: $108.99

3+ Price: $106.99 / btl

6+ Price: $104.99 / btl

Producer	Lenoble
Country	France
Region	Champagne
Subregion	Champagne Grand Cru
Varietal	Chardonnay
Vintage	2013
Sku	109420
Size	750ml
ABV	13.00%

Lenoble Description

ROBINS

Champagne AR Lenoble, one of the few remaining champagne houses to be family-run and entirely independent.
In 1915 Armand-Raphaël Graser, then a wine merchant in Alsace, left his native region for Champagne. He settled in Damery in an 18th century building with typical Champagne architecture, now the company’s headquarters. From 1920 onwards he began to produce champagne which he sold under the brand ‘AR Lenoble’ – ‘A.R.’ as his initials and ‘Lenoble’ as a tribute to the nobility of champagne wines.
In 1947 he fell to his death when checking a vat during the grape harvest, and was succeeded by his son Joseph.
In 1973, upon Joseph’s retirement, the company found itself in a difficult financial situation following extremely bad management. However, Jean-Marie Malassagne – the grandson of Armand-Raphaël – was keen to keep the company in the family and took up the reins with passion.
In 1993 the Champagne region was not spared crisis, prompting Jean-Marie to hand over the business. His three children were consulted regarding potentially taking it on, failing which the company would be sold. His eldest son, a doctor and surgeon, declined the offer, and his youngest son had only just completed his studies and thus had no desire to attempt the venture. His daughter Anne, however – who was working at L’Oréal, far from the world of champagne – decided to return to the estate and join the company to bring it new momentum. Three years later, it was Antoine’s turn to join his sister after having cut his teeth in the agri-food sector.
The fourth generation is in place.

“When considering everything ‘Gentilhomme’ offers—the inimitable power and intrigue of a Blanc de Blancs, the storied terroir of Grand Cru Chouilly, the flat-out rarity of the cuvée, and the unrivaled brilliance of AR Lenoble—this hard-to-find vintage Champagne becomes a masterpiece.”
Mark Osburn, Sommelier & Champagne Specialist

AR Lenoble’s Chouilly bottlings are spectacles to behold especially the Grand Cru “Gentilhomme” bottling. This isn’t just pristine Grand Cru Chardonnay from their sustainably farmed parcels—it’s the very best hand-selected clusters from a blockbuster vintage. After the 2013 harvest, one they deemed extraordinary, they meticulously sorted the top percentage of their Chouilly crop and vinified it separately in a combination of stainless steel and large, neutral barrels. Following, the wine was bottled in the first quarter of 2014 and sent into their deep chalk caves until our parcel was disgorged-to-order in the summer of 2020. It was given a judicious two-gram dosage.

When it comes to powerful, low-dosage, long-aged Chouilly from the dexterous hands of AR Lenoble, we always think the best course of action is to treat it like Grand Cru Burgundy: Pour it around 50-55 degrees, serve it in large Burgundy stems, and savor it slowly over several hours. What’s immediately apparent is that it isn’t fiercely carbonated, razor-sharp, or aggressive. This is supremely sublime Champagne with long-reaching breadth and delicacy that melts in your mouth with generous notes of apricot, ripe yellow apples, pineapple core, brioche, toasted hazelnut, honeysuckle, acacia, preserved lemon, lees, crushed chalk, seaspray, and vanilla bean. The rich yet precise palate is liquid royalty that slowly unfurls with a velvety soft core of yellow orchard fruit, creamy citrus, and a lasting presence of pulverized minerality. If you love fine white Burgundy and the allure of luxury Champagne, then this has your name on it!

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