Deutz Amour de Deutz 2014 (Magnum)
Pale gold colour, with a very fine, almost silky bubble. The nose opens on candied lemon, pear and quince, then gains in depth: pastry, ginger biscuit, toasted bread, and a smoky touch, like a wood fire, left by the years spent on lees. With aeration come orange blossom and linden blossom. The…
TOUS LES CHAMPAGNES DEUTZThe expert verdict
The structure of this champagne
TASTING NOTES
Pale gold colour, with a very fine, almost silky bubble. The nose opens on candied lemon, pear and quince, then gains in depth: pastry, ginger biscuit, toasted bread, and a smoky touch, like a wood fire, left by the years spent on lees. With aeration come orange blossom and linden blossom. The palate is straight and finely etched, held by a lively acidity; chalk and slate shape a taut wine, nourished by yellow plum and apricot. The finish, long and saline, extends over citrus fruits. Serve at around 10-12°C in large glasses. Vinous suggests enjoying it until 2035, and the magnum gives it even more room.
The composition
Terroirs
One hundred percent Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. The 2014 comes mainly from Avize and Oger; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Villers-Marmery, in the Montagne de Reims, complete the blend. Vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks, with no oak ageing, to preserve the precision of the fruit, and the wine then ages for nearly nine years on lees in the house's chalk cellars in Aÿ. 2014 was a rather cool year, which produced a taut, incisive vintage. Dosage: 7.5 g/L. The magnum, one and a half litres, allows the wine to evolve more slowly than in a bottle.
About this house
Founded in Aÿ in 1838 by William Deutz and Pierre-Hubert Geldermann, the Deutz house is one of the oldest in Champagne, and one of the most discreet. Today part of the Louis Roederer group, it keeps only the first pressing of its grapes and ages its wines in cellars carved into the chalk, some twenty metres below Aÿ.
L'Amour de Deutz is its prestige blanc de blancs, the purest expression of Chardonnay in its range. The 2014, born of a cool year, gives a taut, finely etched version, praised by critics: 95+/100 from Wine Advocate, 94/100 from Vinous. In magnum, it is the bottle for grand tables and long cellaring.
The perfect pairing
Aperitif
The biscuit and pastry notes from nine years on lees echo choux pastry; the fine bubble and lively acidity lighten the cheese.
Starter
The wine's candied lemon meets the citrus of the gravlax; its tension and saline finish cut through the richness of the salmon.
Main course
The delicate flesh of the sole calls for a precise wine: the toasted bread and smoky touch of the 2014 accompany the beurre noisette, which the acidity then cleanses.
