Alfred Gratien, Brut Nature

Broad and assertive in the same house style, this shows the imprint of full oak aging clearly, even in rosé form. The nose opens with baked strawberry, red apple skin, and blood orange, layered with toasted brioche, almond, and a lightly oxidative, cellar-aged note that gives the wine a distinctly boisterous profile. On the palate, the texture is firm and substantial rather than delicate, with restrained mousse and a savory, oak-inflected mid-palate that emphasizes structure over charm. Red fruit remains …

4 years since purchasing, very attractive and enticing light orange-brown-pink colour, very persistent fine mousse, fine baked bread nose, lovely in fact, palate with lightnesses and lift but excellent depth of flavour and power, good fresh acidic bite, very clean, long, bitter rather than sweet finish, very good persistence, nice, bottle went down a treat, top QPR

intense colour. raspberry, yeast, almonds in the nose. intense moussex. foamy with a good acidity kick. medium lenght. citrus fresh in the finish. decent entry level.

This is a very good NV. Disg 2022. Benefitted from some years in my cellar. Way ahead of some of its peers

Still fresh and with a pleasing bite, there were notes of lemon and shortbread laced with butter. As it opened out, there was a slight oxidative tinge and a inkling of toffee which added to the complexity. Nicely balanced, it has matured well in bottle. CHP 92 pts

2008 vintage

Rich and mature now. Honey, quince, baked apple, lemon, mushroom, and a saline backdrop. For me it’s losing freshness and needs food.

2008 vintage

Helt ok rosé. Gick lite mer åt blodapelsinhållet än grapefrukt vilket var ganska angenämt. Köpt på plats och legat drygt ett år här hemma, skulle kanske väntat något år till men fullt drickbar.

Fully mature yet still surprisingly fresh, this was minerally and saline with fruit flavours of baked apple and lemon, laced with toffee and honey and a hint of brioche. Complex, elegant and well proportioned with a decent lingering finish. CHP 92 pts

2008 vintage

Deep pink in the glass with vivid bubbles. Pleasant nose with raspberries and yeast. Nice acidity, good mousse, deep in flavor with red berries and some toast, a hint of grapefruit; ending is medium+, with lasting fruit and some herbal notes. Quite pleasant aperitif.

Rich, full of red apples, grapefruit with excellent length

2008 vintage

To early, save this bottle!

2008 vintage

19-base.

Autolytic notes of brioche coupled with pear and apple and a nice saline layer. The palate feels fresh with good acidity and structural elements. Nice entry level sparkler, without major discerning features, however.

Intense, vanilla shortbread, lime, blood orange. Medium complexity. Long taste. Likely to improve for eons.

2008 vintage

Far more enjoyable than a recent 2002. The lemony/citric element and acidity seemed more in check; giving refreshment without harshness. A bit of a high wire act so I can see why taster impressions vary.

2008 vintage

Relatively dark blush color with a slight tinge of yellow/orange. Nice effervescence, fine to medium bubbles. Surprisingly dry and acidic for a brut rose, but in a refreshing way. I think the CT rating is pretty spot on at 91. Recommended, but maybe a little highly priced.

2007 vintage

63 % chardonnay and 37 % pinot noir. Light orange. Initially a bit inconsistent with white mould cheese, apricot, garrigue, but improves with some air. High acidity, very slender profile, fresh and sour berries - especially - raspberries, but overall lacks a bit of fruit to be more coherent.

2007 vintage

Too much acidity for us. Needs food. Winter apples, murky cellar and some yeast are what comes to mind. Long aftertaste.

2008 vintage

Yellow. Aromas of flint, roasted hazelnut, bruised apple, marzipan and honey. Dry and pure structure. Lemony acids and grapefruit bitterness. Palate of blood orange, ginger, apricot pit, peach skin and a hint of yeast. A slightly mature, pure and complex wine with stone fruit, marked acidity and an elegant nutty finish. Drink within 6-8 years.

2008 vintage

Tried at Trompette with MIL/X/F. Nice structure. A certain delicacy, which is enjoyable. But far, far too much citrus for me - will this recede with time?

2008 vintage

a champagne in transition perhaps - this has developed distinct secondary characteristics while retaining a degree of freshness

2008 vintage

Slowly leaving the first and fruit driven phase. High acidity, roasted oak, lemon, grapefruit. Will improve for years to come.

2008 vintage

Not so positiv to this. Have 2 more bottles hope I like them better.

By the glass at Sushi B, Paris. Albeit lacking in star quality this lacks none of the charm and elegance of a good champagne and works very well as an aperitif. Bright and energetic, touch linear but pretty and mineral. Very much in the French style of champagne. 91

Deg 07/23. Had this after the 08 Paradis Rosé, which made it a bit tough. Solid champagne though, at a fair price.

Nice

2007 vintage

Very classic and correct. Still young and a bit closed. Lotes and lots of chalk and citrus. Lacking a little bit of detail. But very yum!

2008 vintage

Disgorged 02/23. Somewhat fresher than earlier tastings, maybe due to the quite recent disgorgement. Anyways, this Champagne always delivers.

Great aroma, feel and flavour straight from the cellar. Chilled a little it developed an odd soapy feel on the end - which went when left to warm again. Previous bottles didn't show this. Only solution is to try another one!

2008 vintage

Anniversary year wine opened on our 15th anniversary... fortuitous to have got married in a great Champagne vintage! The wine has also aged well - in fact it felt like it was just hitting its stride. Attractive combination of ripe fruit and no malo, creating a weighty wine that had ample green apple crispness. There was certainly some development, though, with a Chardonnay-led buttery undertone on the nose, the midpalate and through the finish. This was my only bottle, which …

2008 vintage

The color is from fermented juice in Bozy, 36 months on the lees. Lots of power and dry extract. Massive and dry. Powerful stuff. Lots going on.

Something strange here. Nice but nowhere near as good as last bottle. Tasted slightly 'muddled' and imprecise and not as rich as earlier bottle. Could be bottle variation or maybe as i only took delivery from storage 48 hours previously it was 'unsettled' - if that is even possible?

2008 vintage

Ripe quince, oven-fresh croissant, vanilla custard, white flowers. Captivating and complex nose, clearly there�s high quality oak contributing to the aromatic profile. Fresh and clean on the palate: concentrated, ripe lemon, zippy acidity, medium weight and a long tapered finish.

2008 vintage

A solid performance.First signs of maturity showing. Will improve for many years.

2008 vintage

Burgundy Tasting (Restaurant Schweizer's, Stuttgart) : Glass: Spiegelau Burgundy Deep golden color. Yeasty nose, lots of autolysis notes. On the palate a bit sweet and sour, some lactic notes, Good length. Good, standard Champagne, but for me nothing really fancy or exciting. 90-91

2008 vintage

This is my/our style classy Champagne. Crisp and bright but equally rich and brioche. Those Oak barrels are really playing their part. Delicious now and id estimate about 3 more years

2008 vintage

Aromas of watermelon, strawberry, mineral and lime. Flavors of lime, strawberry, cherry and touch of cream. Ends with a 15-20 second finish with mineral notes.

this was very impressive - uplifting champagne with such a lot going on - excellent

2008 vintage

Superb!

2008 vintage

(Blind tasting) Fullish nose with development. Ripe apple compote. Hints of bread and nuts. A toasty note. Good depth and complexity. Fullish palate. Very concentrated and intense. Very good grip. High acidity and richness. But also a bit austere. Toast beginning to emerge. Ripe apple, bread and nuttiness. This powerful Champagne is beginning to open up and will be delicious in 3-5 years.

2008 vintage

Wowie what a wine. Pretty nose of perfectly ripe red apples, buscuits and strawberries, showing just slight signs of development. Huge mousse, at least in the first hour after opening. Medium body, hugh acidity, brilliant concentration, palette dominated by apples. Long besutiful and complex exit. Could leave this in the cellar for at least 12 more years.

2007 vintage

Pale gold. Bread and yeast on the nose. It has quite a rich palate, starting as lemon but then toast and almond croissant, with a hint of apple. I think it needs food.

2008 vintage

WIMPS Champagne and Chardonnay Offline (La Trompette) : The nose reminded me of pasteis de nata - great pasty crust and custard - but also some freshness, like new cotton sheets. Good intensity on the palate - moreish and with balanced acidity. Light mousse

2008 vintage

Syrlige røde bær. God kompleksitet. Fin lengde

Light copper. Brioche, butter and green apples on the nose. Dry. Nice acidety. Medium mouthfeel. Citrus and apples on the palate. Minerals and cream. Long citric exit. Not quite paradise, but definetly very nice🍾🥂

2007 vintage

Full-flavoured rich and very dry. Immensely powerful yet so fresh and balanced. Intense eventually developing notes of black chocolate. What can you say? A Champagne of prodigious quality and dimension. Perfection. CHP 97 pts

2008 vintage

Light & dainty, silky and elegant. Almost understated, there is no mistaking the inherent minerally saline quality enriched with melted butter. The longevity of the finish is simply astonishing. Perhaps over-shadowed by the �Cuv�e Paradis�, this is still a very fine Champagne. CHP 96 pts

2008 vintage

Very good - fresh and vibrant and so energetic. Apples and pears and barrels of orchard fruit. Fields of wheat in late summer. Long and bursting with life.

2008 vintage

Fin

I remember tasting the Paradis directly in comparison with the non vintage rose during some Alfred Gratien tasting. During the tasting the Paradis seemed to have a bit less impact versus the non vintage. No the Paradis with significant bottle age. Opens up with nice cherry but not ultra expressive at first. What immediately comes to mind are the elegant fine bubbles and nicely defined pin prick acidity. A fairly short amount of aeration and it develops a super juicy …

2007 vintage

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