Pommery "Apanage" Brut Champagne NV
(Champagne, France) - [JS 93]

About the Winery:
Pommery & Greno was founded in 1858 by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno after Monsiuer Pommery learned his wife was expecting another child just after he had decided to retire from wool trading. Unfortunately, he passed away only a year later, but his widow Louise took the reigns and the firm was dedicated to Champagne production. It soon became one of the region's largest Champagne brands - they were the first house to commercialize a brut Champagne in 1874, and they are currently owned by the Vranken-Pommery Monopole Group, which also owns Heidsieck & Co Monopole and Vranken, Château la Gordonne, Domaine Royal de Jarras, and Rozès.

Notes from the Winemaker:
The essence of fine cuisine. The chardonnay grape has an assertive presence. Brut Apanage is left to mature in chalk cellars on the Pommery Estate for a further six months to allow the subtlety and finesse of Pommery wines to slowly emerge.

Eye: Brilliant color, pale yellow, effervescent and lingering.

Nose: Fresh, subtle, elegant, creamy, almost butter-like, with citrus fruits (pink grapefruits).

Palate: A wine held together by explosive creaminess. Hazelnuts, dried apricot and vanilla notes are dominated by light tobacco and shortbread.

93 Points - James Suckling:
"Hard to resist this charming and characterful champagne. A wide range of stone fruit aromas plus ripe pear pulls you into the juicy and creamy palate which retains a very nice delicacy of touch. Long, elegant finish with dainty caramelized pear character. 40% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir and 30% pinot meunier with 20% of perpetual reserve in this cuvee based on the 2018 vintage. 17 villages, mostly Premier and Grand Cru. Drink now." (Jul 2023)