Marguet Pere et Fils Brut Reserve Champagne Magnum (1500ml)

Marguet Pere et Fils Champagne is one of those remarkable discoveries that are only occasionally experienced in a wine merchant's life. The company is a small family operation. Their only option is to sell on quality and maintain their market share by ensuring any price increases remain modest. This attitude is all the more remarkable when one learns that their wines are produced using fruit sourced from some of the highest ranking vineyards in the region: There are 324 villages (or 'crus') with vineyards in Champagne. Each cru is rated by a system known as 'échelle des crus' which gives every village a rating for the quality of its grapes.

A 100% Grand Cru classification is very rare, in fact only 17 villages out of 300 are entitled to this classification (equalling approximately 1% of Champagne's entire production). Not surprisingly, the scarcity of Grand Cru grapes makes them expensive and so they're reserved for the finest cuvees of Champagne's most prestigious firms. Both Marguet's Vintage and Non Vintage Champagnes are produced from 100% Grand Cru fruit (think of N/V Bollinger at $90+ which is now partly sourced from Premier Crus and you'll begin to appreciate how dramatically underpriced these wines are). Nicks Wine Merchants / Vintage Direct search the world for extraordinary and exciting new wines, continuing a policy of dealing directly with wineries whenever possible. Through bypassing the wholesalers, this is unquestionably the most extraordinary value in Champagne available in Australia today.

Tasting note: Our third shipment has just arrived in time for the two big parties ahead of us. The quality of a Champagne house’s Non Vintage wine is the testimony of the strength of the house and its ability to blend Champagne. This wine delivers the goods, pouring with an excellent creamy white, long lasting head, supporting a profusion of very fine, persistent bead. Straw colour base wine. The nose delivers aroma of yeast lees, nougat and biscuit – that is impressive in its own right. However, the best is yet to come. The palate has blossomed into a wonderful creamy textured Champagne layered with biscuit, yeast lees and nougat flavours. Clean acid finish. Very long aftertaste of biscuit and nougat. Cellar 3 - 4 years. Alc/Vol:12%