Arlaux Champagne Premier Cru, Grande Cuvée NV

Champagne

The house of Arlaux is one of Champagne's best kept secrets, its vineyards are all Premier Cru on the "Montagne de Reims", the greatest terroir in the region and most of its tiny hand-crafted production goes to the finest Michelin starred restaurants around the world, from Paris to Tokyo. This is champagne of the very highest quality at a price that is far below champagnes of a similar class.

Robert Parker, a few years ago selected and blind-tasted 50 of the best non vintage champagnes on the market and the top 3 in order were:

1. Arlaux Brut Premier Cru NV – 92 Points

2. Bollinger Spécial Cuvée NV – 91 points

3. Taittinger Brut Réserve NV – 90 points

Arlaux was described as ‘value priced’, Bollinger and Taittinger as ‘ultra premium priced’.

Our Tasting Notes

A flawless, rich champagne with extraordinary aromatic flavours and great finesse. Far better than most vintage and Grandes Marques de Champagne. This is for all of us who love good champagne at a reasonable price. There is an intense colour of brilliant gold, a delicate nose with aromas of warm croissants and ripe fruit with slightly honeyed noted. Bubbles are fine and regular, with a nice, long palate.

Wine Data

Grape variety: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Appellation: Champagne
Alcohol: 13%

About

Arlaux has been run by the same family since 1852, all their grapes are hand picked from their own Premier Cru vineyards where no pesticides are used, a far cry from the large scale ‘Grandes Marques’.
Arlaux has been following the sole principle of excellence coupled with an approach that prioritises quality at every step of the production process. Entirely classified as a Premier Cru, the Arlaux vineyard has been worked without any pesticides for over 20 years. Through superb care, its grapes are among the most healthy and beautiful from the “Montagne de Reims”, the historical heart of the Champagne region. Harvested by hand at perfect maturity, they are then subject to a gentle winemaking during which only the juices of the first pressing (“Tête de Cuvée”) are used. Benefiting from a long ageing process, generally reserved for prestigious vintages (four years for Brut non-vintage and up to ten years for vintages), Arlaux champagnes offer a large aromatic range and a finesse to meet the expectations of the most demanding enthusiasts. From generation to generation, the Arlaux family has remained completely true to their vocation, which more than champagne, embodies a style, a spirit…Perfection, elegance and discretion. Since 1852, the house of Arlaux has remained totally independent.

"I’m acutely aware that we rarely offer champagne in these pages, other than the occasional treat from our beloved Pol Roger (the Speccie house pour), largely because I’ve never found one that’s good enough or well-priced enough. Well, crikey, thanks to Esme Johnstone of fromvineyardsdirect I’ve finally now found one. The Arlaux Champagne Premier Cru, Brut Grande Cuvée NV fair knocked my socks off. Produced by the Arlaux family from insecticide-free Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, it’s first-rate fizz and no mistake. And don’t just take my word for it. Its gloriously honeyed, toasty notes and finest of fine mousses also caught the eye of Robert Parker, no less, who recently placed it top of a blind tasting of 50 non-vintage champagnes. Oh, and by the way, Bollinger was second and Taittinger third, both of which cost a heck of a lot more than this does." Jonathan Ray, The Spectator