André Clouet Un Jour de 1911

And now we reach peak Clouet. First time I drank it the wine had been aged in Sherry casks, not sure of what oak is used now but it is all oak. 3g to 5g dosage (no austerity) and abv12%, 100% Pinot Noir, aged for 10 TO 12 YEARS on lees, read on for Andre's outrageous(ly good) tasting note... 

Once upon a time, a few precious bottles were hidden away in a small cellar for more than 80 years. By a stroke of luck they were found and became the inspiration for a champagne tribute to the Golden Age we like to call “Un jour de 1911”. We were overcome with sentimental nostalgia when we recovered those bottles, saving them from oblivion. Memories of old Aunt Jenny came flooding back. She had always spoken about them with a sparkle in her eye, remembering their presence at every resplendent celebration and happy occasion during those dazzling early years of the 1900s. ANDRE CLOUET 

Carefully packed with straw, protected in their wooden cases, each bottle was beautifully dressed with a gold foil collar, painstakingly applied by hand and shapely suggestive of a woman’s plunging neckline. Belle Époque graphic design on the labels transported us back to the Golden Age of France, a time of prosperity, optimism and creative freedom when the arts began to flourish.

The Un jour de 1911... is another 100% Bouzy Pinot Noir with an antique label design. The bright golden colored cuvée combines maturity, complexity and finesse with intensity and elegance on the nose as well as the palate. It is a powerful and rich Champagne but very fine and balanced with a great freshness and a complex length. It is juicy and intense but also very delicate, its mineral tension and persistent finish make it a first choice wine for elaborate dishes. A great Champagne, with a label that doesn’t give more details about the vintages or the disgorgement date, but we know that it is always a 50/50 blend of three vintages (including a great vintage of at least 10 years) and reserve wines from a solera system. I tasted the wine in Brut at Clouet’s German importer in Bremen. You should not drink it too early, as it would be a waste of its talents. 96 POINTS, THE WINE ADVOCATE