Agrapart & Fils, Venus Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Grand Cru, Avize

Pours a pale lemon in the glass. Pronounced, developing aromas of citrus (lemon, grapefruit, lime- zest, fresh, preserves), smoke, crushed rock, yeast, sour dough. In the mouth, the wine is dry, delicate mousse, high acid, med body, med alcohol, intense in the mouth, with a medium finish. Overall, outstanding. Too young, hold. Helluva wine, too young to really see what it is set up to be, but that reductive smoky note... Oooooo, yeah, of Morgon Long made Champagne, I think …

It’s an odd position to find myself in, rating a wine this highly when I’m not even sure I even like it. On opening the wine is tightly coiled and gives too little away, and when a little too warm like at the end of a glass, it’s plain sour. But this wine has a truly beautiful nose with notes of ripe peach and sweet flower. And at just the right temperature and in tiny sips this wine has stunning …

Emerges in deep golden yellow. Very light in nose, with citrus and butter and hints of rhubarb and stone fruits. Bubbles extremely subtle, really just appearing later on back palate. Palate just as light, with underlying acidity, a little citrus and stone fruits coming forth but all about buttery and slightly bitter oiliness (rear tongue) and refined salinity at the tip. This has a very jelly-like core. It’s a textural journey, subtle and elegant as ever. Opening slowly but building …

Apparently wild yeast on oak barrels? Fiesty but elegant, well rounded but thin. Feels way too young (which it is) but oak, chalk and brioche fill out the blanks. Not my favourite but nonetheless very well made.

There is an instant richness here that is immediately appealing, though such accessibility is countered by its medium intensity and dialed-back acidic tension. The flavor profile signals a more mature spectrum, with grilled lemon, chamomile, limestone, poached pear, olive oil, and almond skin notes. Vivacity is tempered by its old soul personality; and even with that, the flavors seem a bit primary in their ultimate expression. What this all equates to is a very well crafted wine that hasn’t yet …

Beautiful nose with chamomile notes, stone fruit, lemon, and minerals. There is a good amount of richness and depth, balanced by bright fruit notes. Great acidity on the palate with flavors of lemon, grapefruit, and apple. It feels a bit tarter compared to the nose. Nice finish. Great bottle of Champagne, deep and complex and showing surprisingly well already. I liked this much more than the Mineral I had a few months ago and surprisingly it's more approachable, too. 95+

Beau potentiel mais dois vieillir car c’est fermé et peu complexe, on sent la richesse mais on n’a pas le WoW magique habituel avec cette cuvée À vieillir !

Toasty, brioche, leicht gebrannter zucker, nussig

A yeast nose with milky notes, candle wax, lemongrass, white chocolate. Pear and apple fruit with minor citrus additions. A more nutty palate with good acidity. There is impressive aromatic breadth, but maybe could have done with a more linear palate.

The 16 Agrapart Venus is way too young to be drunk now. Really requiring 2.5-3 hours to develop, this shows an intense and focused lemon and chalk profile. The chiseled structure, good acid, and beautiful length bode well for the future, but that future is at least 5-10 years away.

Always with such incredible expression of terroir, Agrapart’s 2016 Venus is fabulous today riveting with energy; just electric on the palate. There’s such an incredible combination of richness and purity with impeccable concentration and fruit density. Layers of perfumed citrus oils, ripe orchard fruit, almond skin and crushed stones waft from the glass. The palate is long, vibrant and intense with a mineral and saline inflicted finale. A killer BdB.

Impressive wine. The cellaring has becomed it well. Very forth coming but lots of complexity and great balance. The best bottle I ever tasted from Agrapart.

Big wine, impressive nose, very powerful and tempting, the mouth is huge and the length is incredible, you would never suggest a 2001. One of the best QPR 44€ in 2008.