Champagne Paul Déthune Blanc de Noirs 'Le Bout du Clos' Extra Brut Ambonnay Grand Cru 2018

I would just like to float it out there that Jacques Selosse also has a Grand Cru Champagne from Ambonnay called “Le Bout du Clos”... though theirs pushes well into the $700 to $1,000 range. Paul Déthune’s, comparatively, is rather a steal for under $160 here at Last Bubbles. The Déthune name is gold in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, as they’ve been growing grapes in the region since the 1600s and are the second-oldest family in Ambonnay. They know a thing or two about grape growing and Pinot Noir in general, and their cuvées taste just like the royalty they are. 

Produced in extremely limited quantities, Le Bout du Clos 208 is a single-vineyard, 100% Pinot Noir cuvee grown on 50-year-old vines in a characteristically grassed vineyard. After aging in 205-liter Champagne barrels, a dosage of only 5 grams per liter ensures that the brilliance of the wine shines through. It’s a mineral-driven beauty, and a warm hug of a Champagne that doesn’t let go.

Powerfully rich, impressively intense, and playfully elegant, this Champagne is exceptional now, but there is no denying it – the best years are yet to come! With an amber golden hue, enticing aromas of orange creamsicle, roasted herbs, and baked apples with cinnamon and brown sugar saunter out the glass. The bubbles luxuriously coat the mouth – revealing flavors of creamy citrus on the palate with dried mango, Earl Grey tea, pecan pie filling, applesauce (the warm, chunky, homemade kind), and all-spice, all with this chalky, almost-smoky minerality throughout. Its complex and powerful finish goes on, and on, seemingly forever! This is an immaculate, robust, endlessly layered Champagne, and one you absolutely need in your collection (no exaggeration).