Agrapart 7 Crus Brut, Champagne

The NV Brut 7 Crus is a very pretty, entry-level wine in this range. Bright, mineral and intensely vibrant, the 7 Crus is all energy. All the elements are so well proportioned. A blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, this captures all the house signatures with tons of energy and better overall balance than in some previous editions. White flowers, chalk and citrus linger. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disg. July 2024

90 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

 The Agrapart range begins with a non-vintage wine called 7 Crus. The name refers to the seven Côte des Blancs villages from which the wine derives. These include Avize (from younger vines aged 20 to 40 years), Cramant, Oger, Oiry, Avenay-Val-d’Or, Coligny and Vauciennes. Like all Agrapart wines, the fruit is from 100% estate-owned and farmed vineyards.

7 Crus is a blend of two harvests. In this case, 60% is 2021 from 1er Cru sites, and 40% is 2020 from Grand Cru sites. The reserve wine was raised in neutral, 600-litre oak casks from François Chidaine and Didier Dagueneau. The breakdown is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir (this and the Complantée are the only wines from this producer that aren’t blanc de blancs). Even at this first level, the wine is aged for three years on lees, and it was disgorged with 6 g/L dosage. This is the most immediately seductive cuvée in the Agrapart range, yet it is still extremely fine: long, racy and saline with some gentle grip. And as the note below makes clear, it’s become ever classier in recent years under Ambroise Agrapart’s tutelage.