Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru C + C Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2018

Aurélien Suenen has run his family's small estate in Cramant since 2009, working about 3 hectares of Chardonnay in Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, all farmed organically. He trained under his mentor Fabrice Pouillon and Pascal Agrapart, and the wines are widely held to be among the finest in the Côte des Blancs. C+C stands for Cramant and Chouilly, the two Grand Cru villages the fruit comes from, both on chalk. Cramant gives laser-like minerality, and Chouilly adds generosity and texture. The wine is 100% Chardonnay, fermented with native yeasts, aged on its lees in a mix of neutral oak, steel and concrete, and bottled unfined and unfiltered with a low Extra Brut dosage of around 3–4 g/L. Recent releases are multi-vintage blends with reserve wines.

The result is a precise, energetic Blanc de Blancs that shows more richness than Suenen's Oiry bottling. Citrus oil and white flowers lead, with almond paste, brioche and crushed chalk behind. The palate is medium to full-bodied and layered, with creamy texture over electric acidity, finishing long, saline and mineral.