Barons de Rothschild Les Maladries 2021
Pale gold robe with crystalline glints. The nose, mineral and very chalky, opens on lime blossom, then on lightly toasted almond, pineapple and baked bread. The palate is full and textured, both creamy and very dry, carried by chalk, blood orange and ripe pomelo. The finish remains saline and fresh,…
ALL CHAMPAGNES FROM BARONS DE ROTHSCHILDThe expert verdict
The structure of this champagne
TASTING NOTES
Pale gold robe with crystalline glints. The nose, mineral and very chalky, opens on lime blossom, then on lightly toasted almond, pineapple and baked bread. The palate is full and textured, both creamy and very dry, carried by chalk, blood orange and ripe pomelo. The finish remains saline and fresh, with a fine grip and a delicious touch of stewed apple. You can open it now or keep it in your cellar for a few more years.
The composition
Terroirs
Les Maladries du Nord is a named plot at the heart of Avize, a village classified as grand cru in the Côte des Blancs. The Rothschild family's plot, 28.12 ares halfway up the slope, faces north, which makes for slow ripening. Its chardonnay vines, planted in 1938 using mass selection, are rooted in 30 cm of clay soil resting on deep Campanian chalk. Hand-harvested on 21 September 2021, at the end of a cold and demanding year, the grapes fermented half in concrete eggs, half in used oak barrels of 500 to 600 litres, with malolactic fermentation completed, and the wine remained there for nine months. It then spent 45 months in bottle before disgorgement, on 22 April 2026. Extra brut, dosed at 3 g/L, 12.5% vol. Limited release of 2,542 numbered bottles.
About this house
With a wealth of expertise in fine wines since 1853, the Rothschild family came together in Champagne in 2005: the Lafite, Mouton and Clarke branches created their first shared estate there. The house owns 8 hectares of vines, 7 of which are in the Côte des Blancs, draws on around twenty partner winegrowers, and gives chardonnay the leading role.
With Le Bateau, Les Maladries opens a collection of single-plot cuvées, following in the footsteps of the Grand Clos 2019. Same harvest and same time in bottle as its neighbour in Cramant: only the place and the ageing differ. In Avize, the house seeks the balance between richness and freshness, and this cuvée received 95/100 from James Suckling and 93/100 from World of Fine Wine.
The perfect pairing
Aperitif
The toasted almond and baked bread on the nose echo the shortbread, and the saline finish answers the parmesan.
Starter
The blood orange and pomelo in the wine season the delicate flesh of the sea bass, and its salinity extends the dish.
Main course
The full, creamy palate pairs with the butter of the sole, and the chalky freshness of the finish lightens the whole.
