Score: 94/100
Barbier-Louvet is a small grower Champagne (or Champagne vigneron) based in the Premier Cru village of Tauxières Mutry offering only a handful of different cuvée sparkling wines.
In addition to two cuvées at the Premier Cru level (a 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs and the Brut Tradition we tasted earlier), the producer also offers this top Grand Cru wine with a Brut sweetness level (pretty dry, but not too dry), logically called Prestige Brut.
This is a blend of 60 % of Pinot Noir and 40 % of Chardonnay including a 40 % of reserve wines that is to say wine of high quality that was stored (reserved) from previous vintages for several years until they are ready to give their best expression.
So how good is this Barbier-Louvet Grand Cru Brut Prestige?
The answer is in the tasting notes:
The wine bubbles abundantly in a fine textural foam (see video).
The color seems to ally all the white wine spectrum’s tones, with light hues of lemon-green as well as a touch of golden almost amber color. The whole makes for a medium-intensity color with an appealingly-fresh aspect.
A very delicate nose marries fresh fruit with subtle positively oxidative notes. The fresh green apple meets honey, sour cherry, walnut, lemon, and almond.
The first palate sensation surprises by its weight, its affirmed presence from the very moment you put the wine in your mouth. Straight up, you know you’re on for something serious and interesting.
But that first impression is quickly caught up by a great mineral acidity that livens things up rapidly and brings the floral, fresh, and fruity elements of the wine to life. A backbone of elegant but marked acidity drives the whole palate experience, and seems to be playing the tune the parade of flavors is dancing on.
The citrus (lime, orange zest), the confit pineapple, lychee, white peach, and the ever-present green apple (yes, it is complex) make the wine feel fresh and lively overall like the dancers of a Brasilian carnival. But the tubas and brass in the form of walnut, anise biscuit, and brioche are also there to animate the show loudly in the background.
Overall
A complex, elegant, concentrated and mineral wine that brings up surprises and new sensations at every sip.
It is actually not easy to put it into words as every sensation it provides seems to dissipate instantly, to leave place to new aromas and flavors in an entirely new experience a few seconds after.
It IS like a Brasilian carnival parade. Back to this metaphor again!
Concentration and weight meet minerality and elegance.
The spontaneity of the red and white fruit notes from the Pinot Noir (60%) meet the stiffness and depth of the Chardonnay (40%) in a successful marriage.
Enjoy, JM
Before you go, enjoy the following video featuring Champagne Barbier-Louvet Grand Cru on a good beat of rap music:
Please let me know your thoughts