From 50+ year old Chardonnay vines in the best part of the coteaux d'Avize, the 2008 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru l'Avizoise offers an absolutely clear, fresh, discreetly aromatic and elegant bouquet of ripe apples, ultra ripe pears, dates, limes, chalk dust, iodine and some hints of licorice. Grown on calcareous argil, fermented in demi-muids (malolactic included) and bottled unfiltered in May 2009, the wine was kept on the lees for more than five years and disgorged manually with a dosage of five grams per liter. It comes along as full-bodied yet pure, very fine and persistent Champagne with good concentration; it has a firm mineral structure and an almost Burgundian character. The length is really terrific. This is serious Champagne for the next 4-6 years.