Guiborat Prisme.16 Extra Brut Champagne

Blanc De Blancs Grand Cru. Every three or four years we seem to be besotted with a new bottling of the Fouquet family of Champagne Guiborat. This is very much a small operation, but what wonders they do with their holdings in Cramant. The Forquet family has been growing grapes since the 1880s and started their domaine in 1890. The operation, now in its fifth generation, consists of Richard Fouquet and his wife Karine farming their 20 acres, of which 12 acres are under contract to Laurent Perrier. Multiple sources report that Richard’s grandmother remains a constant presence in her 90s, always with a watchful eye.

These scant eight acres form the foundation for the cuvees that the family produces. The family has been practicing organic for the last decade and the focus on fundamentals shows in the bottle. The Prisme cuvee is a newer one for Guiborat and it is made up of Chardonnay, from three parcels in two Grand Cru villages to really highlight the chalk of these soils. These parcels are from Les Bergeries (planted in 1984) in Cramant and from Chouilly Le Mont Aigu (planted in 1970 and 1979) and Les Caurés (planted in 1946 and 1998). The grapes from each parcel are kept separate and vinified individually without malo mostly in stainless steel with some neutral barrels. After fermentation the base wines were kept in contact with their lees for over 7 months until being blended and bottled. Michael Kennel, D&M