Brut Champagne, Frerejean Freres Premier Cru

The Grand Cru village of Avize nestles between rolling hills of vines in the Côte des Blancs, Champagne. The chalky soil in the area produces the beautifully mineral Chardonnay in Frerejean Frerés Grands Vins de Champagne. Each tiny parcel of land produces different grapes. The winemakers grew up riding their bikes through the vines and know every single one in the area. Their founders, Guillaume, Richard and Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, live between Paris and Champagne, with their families. They’re the latest generation in a line of cannon-makers, who supplied the French army defending the region against the Prussians, during the Napoleonic Wars. They take a fresh approach to Champagne, that respects traditional methods, but leaves room for innovation. They produce champagnes with traditional craftsmanship and rigorous expertise. The fruit of the unique terroir of the Côte des Blancs region, their wines are crafted from the best parcels of vines in the area. They are wines of character; both complex and elegant, produced in Premier Cru and Grand Cru only. With a focus on modern-day craftsmanship, they work the terroir using traditional methods. Their Champagne [the official Champagne of world-renowned Michelin Guide] is now sold in hand-selected outlets the world over but they have stayed true to a small-scale approach. From the moment the grapes are hand-selected on the vine, the focus is quality. After fermentation, each Champagne is carefully ‘assembled’ from 25 wines from the different parcels. The Champagne is turned by hand several times a day as it ages. They have tens of thousands of bottles in their cellars at any one time, to be ‘riddled’. They add minimal sugar in the final stages, to retain the style of the terroir. It takes between 6 and 8 years to make each bottle of Frerejean Frères Brut Premier Cru, and at least 8 to make a vintage cuvée. They take the time.

Frerejean Fréres’ signature wine is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir aged for a minimum of five years, producing an elegant Champagne that embodies the richness of the Frerejean Frères terroir. And low brut dosage and late disgorgement mean that it’s both balanced and generous. It has an expressive nose of dried fruit, honey and almonds, produces flavours of apples & pears, candied fruits and brioche.