“Les Belles Voyes” 2015 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

Les Belles Voyes is the jewel of the Franck Bonville range, sourced from the estate’s oldest Chardonnay vines in the 0.8-hectare Les Belles Voyes parcel at the top of Oger Grand Cru. In 2015 it was vinified uniquely in 55 small oak barrels (around 10% new), then aged for years on lees before disgorgement, with a modest 5 g/L dosage. The result is a Blanc de Blancs with real depth and gravitas: a smoky, slightly reductive nose of flowers, lemon oil, ripe orchard fruit, pastry and chalk. The palate is medium to full-bodied, intensely mineral and vinous, with phenolic grip and a long, mouth-watering, chalk-driven finish. This is a grower Champagne that behaves almost like a great white Burgundy from limestone soils, and it will reward patient cellaring over the next decade or more.