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Disgorged June 2025. This is a very special wine from a very special plot. It comes from one-third of a hectare of vines in the renowned Avize vineyard plot, La Fosse aux Pourceaux. This 0.3-hectare section of La Fosse lies on the chalkiest portion of the slope near the village (contrasting with the more clay-rich soils of the Avizoise cuvée). The vines were planted in 1959, so are extremely old by Champagne standards. This single parcel cuvée is therefore made in tiny quantities each year. The wine was named after the Boulonnais mare, Vénus, that first ploughed the vineyard.
Although Avizoise is one of the benchmark wines of the Côte des Blancs, yet Vénus somehow takes everything to another level. It’s an intense wine that demands food and is worth decanting when young. It will also benefit from two or three years of further aging (at least). Treat it like a great white wine, served at the table with proper wine glasses (we recommend a Burgundy glass), and you will be greatly rewarded. This cuvée was bottled without any dosage.
Vénus has more depth, grip and phenolic power than the Avizoise, yet it offers plenty of finesse and mineral intensity to match the wine’s power and complexity! In 2019, this terroir's magic is on show again; no matter the intensity, the wines still offer otherworldly vibrancy, finesse and drinkability. The length is extraordinary! It’s Côte des Blancs’ answer to a great Chevalier-Montrachet.