Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
Vegan-Friendly
Dry
Medium Bodied
750ml
12% alc./vol

Fresne Ducret La Grande Hermine Champagne 1er Cru 2012

Champagne, France

95 points - Wine Align

$97.95per bottle ($587.70per case)
6 bottles per case

Rich & Complex

Fresne-Ducret is rich in family history and has been rooted in the premier cru village of Villedommange since the mid 1800s. Originally growing grapes for the big champagne houses, it wasn’t until the end of the second world war that the family decided to make their own wine. The tradition carries on today with Pierre Fresne and his wife Daniella (an Oakville ex-pat). Their philosophy is to produce wines that best exemplify the terroir of Villedommange, and they do this with sustainability in mind.

La Grande Hermine was made using grapes from a single year’s harvest, this vintage champagne is a unique interpretation of the Fresne Ducret style, oscillating between freshness and aromatic complexity. The year 2012 was a difficult one in Champagne, with temperatures as low as -20°C in the winter, mild weather in March that spurred the vines to start putting out buds, frost in April which damaged many of those buds, and rain in May-June which impeded the flowering of the vines. But a beautiful month of August saved the harvest, and while yields were low, quality was exceptional, in particular for the chardonnays.

A beautiful blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (25%), and Pinot Meaunier (25%) grown on calcareous clay soils in Premier Cru vineyards in Villedommange. Vinified and aged 8 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Bottled in 2013 with a capsule, and aged in underground cellars for a minimum of 10years.

Crystalline with a pale golden colour. Good effervescence and a stable “cordon” after serving. The nose is fresh, dominated by floral notes with hints of citrus. In the mouth, a savoury dimension with a balanced astringency, with aromas of orange zest and
honey. The wine is lively, dynamic, and moreish, a vintage still in its youth. Serve with goat cheese, small game, or rhubarb millefeuille.

About the Winery

Champagne Fresne Ducret

Fresne-Ducret is rich in family history and has been rooted in the premier cru village of Villedommange since the mid 1800s. Originally growing grapes for the big champagne houses, it wasn’t until the end of the second world war that the family decided to make their own wine. The tradition carries on today with Pierre Fresne and his wife Daniella (an Oakville ex-pat). Their philosophy is to produce wines that best exemplify the terroir of Villedommange, and they do this with sustainability in mind.

In 2014, Pierre Fresne embarked on a new adventure by creating a limited series of champagnes based on his desire for experimentation. Since then, he has produced one or two of these wines each year. Each are unique, according to his wishes and the profile of the vintage. This unique collection is called Arquémie, the term for alchemy in the Middle Ages. In 2018 Pierre began converting the vineyards to organic viticulture, and 2021 will be their first organic certified vintage.

Press Reviews

Wine Align

95 points - Michael Godel

Hard to believe the age because while this almost certainly achieved an immediately retro toasted and evolved stage in its youth and though 12 years have passed the present day imaginings are dreamed to persist within that very immediate stage. As creamy as it is toasty, the textural body politic in La Grande Hermine is one of great cerebral and figurative impression. You feel, intuit and embrace such honesty and possibility. Drink this vintage dated Champagne all winter long. Its calming presence will preserve you in a state of grace lower than a snowman’s blood pressure. Drink 2020-2028. Tasted September 2020.

95 points - David Lawrason

This is a very intense yet nuanced and superbly balanced vintage Champagne. The nose is a blast of finely woven brioche, baked apple, lemon, hay and hazelnut - classic aromatics. It is medium bodied, bracing, dry with great acid grip and minerality. Such focus and outstanding length. Such presence! Tasted Sept 2020.

93 points - John Szabo, MS

Terrific aromatics here off the top, very much in the mature champagne idiom, featuring baked apple turnovers and brioche, toasted almonds, baker's yeast and dried/candied citrus peel in a complex and a highly engaging expression. The palate is an explosion of flavour, delivering more of the same on an ample and generous frame (in champagne context), and excellent length. Expect a bit more of a developed, binned-apple-type expression, a wine more for fans of mature champagne, but an excellent one at that. Drink or hold mid-term for the real goût anglais. Tasted September 2020.