Grande Réserve Brut
At a glance
About this bottle
Grande Réserve is the non-vintage Champagne of the family-run Duménil house from Chigny-les-Roses (pronounced shee-nyee lay rohz), a premier cru village (pronounced pruh-MYAY KREW) in the Montagne de Reims (pronounced mohn-TAN-yuh duh RANS). At the house they call it “the magic three”.
It sparkles gently and is a noble gold in colour. On the nose, white flowers, vine peach and pear. On the palate, first apricot and peach, then baked apples, and on the finish the taste of a sweet French bun.
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier go into the blend in equal parts, and the grapes come from three communes: Chigny-les-Roses, Rilly-la-Montagne and Ludes (pronounced LOOD). Half of the blend is reserve wines, and the Champagne spends three years on the lees. Hence its depth.
It tastes good on its own, as an aperitif, but it also holds its own at the table: with duck salad, beef tenderloin with morels, poultry in sauce and tarts. It has received distinctions at, among others, the Decanter World Wine Awards 2013 and in the Guide Hachette.
About the houseA small family estate on the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims, which has made and sold its own Champagne since 1874. Today it is run by Frédérique Poret, the fifth generation, and its hallmarks are a perpetual reserve started in 1996 and old vintages kept in the family's œnothèque.History, people and stories: Duménil
