NV Andre Clouet 1911

The NV Un jour de 1911... is another 100% Bouzy Pinot Noir with an ancient label design. The shining golden-colored cuvée combines ripeness, complexity and finesse with intensity and elegance on both the nose and palate. It's a powerful and rich yet very fine and balanced Champagne with great freshness and complex length. It is juicy and intense but also highly delicate, and its mineral tension and persistent finish make it a first-class wine for elaborate dishes. A great Champagne, with a label that doesn't give any more detailed information regarding vintages or disgorgement date, but we know it's always a 50/50 blend of three vintages (including one great millésime at least 10 years old) and reserve wines from a solera system. I tasted the wine as a Brut with Clouet's German importer in Bremen. You shouldn't drink it too early, as it would be a waste of its talents.

The NV Grand Cru Cuvee 1911 emerges from the glass with the most haunting of perfumes. Sweet rose petal and jasmine are some of the nuances that emerge over time. Despite recent disgorgement, the purity of the fruit and the extraordinary elegance of the mousse are hard to miss. This is an exceptional, elegant version of the 1911 that should drink beautifully for years to come. The bottle I tasted needed quite a bit of air to open up, so readers should be patient with the wine at this stage. The current release of the 1911 is 100% Pinot Noir, 50% 2002 vintage and 50% a solera blend that dates back to 1998. This is Lot L05, disgorged October 4, 2010 and bottled with dosage of 6 grams per liter. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. This is another strong set of wines from Andre Clouet. Readers who appreciate Pinot-based Champagnes will find much to admire here. Importer: Village Wine Imports, Michael Petrillo, New York, NY; tel. (212) 673-1056