Agrapart Experience Blanc De Blanc Grand Cru 2016

Agrapart Experience 2016

In 2002 Agrapart sought and (remarkably) received permission from the local authorities to begin experimenting with a small quantity of wine that he wanted to produce without any sugar additions; no chaptalisation and no additions for the second fermentation and final dosage (liqueur de tirage and liqueur ). Not using sugar and yeast for the liqueur de tirage (to prompt the second fermentation in the bottle) is actually against the AOC laws, which is why Agrapart needed to request permission. So how does Agrapart achieve the bottle fermentation? Instead of sugar, he uses must (grape juice), from the same vineyards that produce the wine, thus enabling him to produce a Champagne that is solely the product of estate-grown grapes. 

The current release is an equal blend from sources that also contributed to the Avizoise and Mineral cuvees (Les Robarts in Avize and Les Bionnes in Cramant), dosed with around 20% of the juice of 2017 from these same vineyards to drive the secondary fermentation in the bottle. No sugar or yeast additions were used for either fermentation, and the wine was not fined or filtered. Regardless of the methodology, this is simply a strikingly beautiful Champagne.