Espirit de Craie Extra-Brut

VARNIER-FANNIERE

Espirit de Craie Extra-Brut

Product code
871567
Format
6 x 750ml
Listing type
Open
Status
Available
Type of product
Sparkling wine
Country
France
Regulated designation
Appellation origine controlée (AOC)
Region
Champagne
Subregion
Côte des Blancs
Appellation
Champagne
Varietal(s)
Chardonnay 100 %
Colour
White
Sugar
Extra brut
Closure type
Cork
Producer's website
Click here

About this winery

The history of the Varnier-Fannière estate dates back to 1860, when the Fannière family began growing grapes and selling them to the Champagne negociant houses. It was only in 1950 that the family started producing Champagne under their own name. In 1989 Denis Varnier took over the vineyards and the house we know today was born. Varnier-Fannière's vineyard holdings are tiny, just 4 hectares of exclusively Grand Cru vineyards in Avize, Oger, Oiry and Cramant. Annual production is 3000 cases...

See the VARNIER-FANNIERE detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

'Esprit de Craie' translates as 'spirit of the chalk'. Chalk soils are one of the defining characteristics of the vineyards in Champagne's Cotes des Blancs, the source of the region's greatest Chardonnay.

Tasting notes

This 100% Chardonnay Cuvee is made from a blend of the two chalkiest parcels of the Varnier-Fanniere vineyard holdings, giving a wonderfully mineral style. Ideal as an aperitif, expect lovely citrus notes, green apple and brioche.

Press reviews

Vinous

- 93 points -

November 2022

The NV Extra Brut Esprit de Craie sure lives up to its name. Bright, savory and intensely mineral, the Esprit de Craie is a bundle of energy. Lemon confit, graphite, dried herbs, smoke and underbrush confer tons of nuance. The Esprit de Craie is one of the most complex and distinctive Champagnes I tasted this year. There's a lot of wine here, the Esprit is austere and yet also wonderfully complex. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 7, 2022.

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Wine Advocate

- 90 points -

April 2020

Revisited from the October 2017 disgorgement, Varnier-Fannière's NV Extra Brut Esprit de Craie continues to show well, delivering an inviting bouquet of nougat, preserved lemon and rock salt. Medium to full-bodied, it's pure and delicate, with ripe but racy acids, elegantly chalky structure and a nicely defined fisnih.

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