Champagne Mouzon-Leroux L'Atavique Tradition
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
These are some of the most exciting wines we’ve tasted in a very long time – pure expressions of Verzy Grand Cru, one of the most interesting and diverse terroirs in the Montagne de Reims.
Blend: 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A sculpted Champagne that's firm and mouthwatering, yet the fine and creamy mousse softens the impression, bringing overall harmony. The baked white cherry, raspberry coulis, pickled ginger and anise notes are underscored by a streak of salty mineral, and accents of lime blossoms and graphite chime on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in February 2021 with two grams per liter dosage, the NV Extra-Brut L’Atavique Tradition offers up aromas of mint, lime zest, crisp orchard fruit and vanilla pod. Medium-bodied, taut and linear, it's chalky and incisive, with racy acids, a pillowy mousse and a long, saline finish. Best After 2021
Sébastien Mouzon started as the 9th generation of the family to grow grapes in the village of Verzy and officially took over in 2008, though his first vintage was 2009. He was interested in farming organically, in using biodynamic treatments and indigenous fermentations from the beginning. Fermentations are now done pied de cuve – collecting a small preharvest, fermenting that small amount of wine naturally, as a “starter” for inoculating the different tanks with the indigenous yeast. Sébastien pr-harvests 20 berries from each vine for this; the thinking goes that the individual yeast strains will recognize each other in each parcel. The estate is just over 7 hectares, almost all in Verzy, split over 50 different plots. Almost sixty percent of the vineyards are planted to Pinot Noir, while Chardonnay makes up just under 40 percent with four percent Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Viticulture is certified organic and tinctures of horsetail, dandelion, wicker, nettle, yarrow and oak are used in addition to the biodynamic horn manure 500 preparation. Horses are used for ploughing and sheep are used to control cover crops. Grapes are harvested with high physiological ripeness; with biodynamic viticulture allowing for balanced sugar ripeness. Fermentation and elevage is done in a mix of steel tanks and 500-liter, 4 to 5-year-old Jadot barrels, the only estate in Burgundy that has their own tonnellerie. Sébastien feels that these barrels are a perfect foil for his wines. Malolactic is always allowed, as this lets Sébastien use less sulfur. There is no filtration on any of the wines and no collage; the addition of riddling aids to keep the lees from sticking in the bottle. Alcoholic fermentation is natural, using pied de cuve and the secondary fermentation is done with “Quartz”, the selected yeast from Fleury, the biodynamic producer in the Aube. The wines aren’t filtered, and the amount of sulfur used at the estate is very low. Sébastien feels, as many growers do, that a period of aging after disgorgement is necessary. None of the wines are released before they have rested on the cork after disgorgement for at least 6 months.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’