2016FleuryPereetFilsNotesBlanchesBrutNature,Champagne,France

<p>Pinot Blanc may be little seen in Champagne these days, but Fleury’s “Notes Blanches” makes an airtight case for its worthiness. From parcels in Courteron’s <i>Charme de Fin </i>and <i>Valverot</i> vineyards, this 2016 was bottled for secondary fermentation in July 2017 after being fermented and aged entirely in used oak barrels; it was disgorged after 5 ½ years of lees aging in December 2022 without any dosage. Pinot Blanc’s relative neutrality allows the Kimmeridgian limestone to deeply imprint the wine; compared to a Chardonnay-driven Champagne, “Notes Blanches” is sleeker in profile and more savory in its mineral flavors, with an overall drier and less dessert-like impression. This is a fascinating wine particularly well suited to aficionados of the region but certainly accessible to all.</p>