Deutz Amour de Deutz 2015 (magnum)
Pale, luminous gold colour, crossed by a fine, relentless bubble. The nose is linear, mineral, almost chalky: orchard fruits stand out with clarity — apple, pear, citrus — before a touch of cream and pastry rounds it off, a sign of the nine years spent in the cellar. The palate is vertical, taut…
THE CUVÉES OF MAISON DEUTZThe expert verdict
The structure of this champagne
TASTING NOTES
Pale, luminous gold colour, crossed by a fine, relentless bubble. The nose is linear, mineral, almost chalky: orchard fruits stand out with clarity — apple, pear, citrus — before a touch of cream and pastry rounds it off, a sign of the nine years spent in the cellar. The palate is vertical, taut with a crisp acidity that the dosage of 6.5 g/L does not mask; the texture remains fine and chiselled, and the finish lingers at length on chalk and zest. A blanc de blancs built for ageing, to be served at around 10-12°C in large glasses — and in magnum, it has many years ahead of it.
The composition
Terroirs
One hundred percent chardonnay, drawn from the grand and premier crus of the Côte des Blancs. Avize forms the base of the blend at 46%, ahead of Oger (15%) and Villeneuve-Renneville (13%); Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Vertus and Chouilly complete the blend, refined further by a touch of Villers-Marmery, in the Montagne de Reims. Vinification takes place entirely in stainless steel vats, followed by eight months on fine lees, after which the cuvée spends close to nine years in the house's historic cellars in Aÿ. Malolactic fermentation completed, dosage 6.5 g/L, 12% vol. The magnum, one and a half litres, allows the wine to evolve more slowly than in a bottle.
About this house
Established in Aÿ since 1838, the house of Deutz is one of the oldest in Champagne, and one of the most discreet. It has never sought power: its style rests on finesse and balance, on wines that stand out for what they do not force. It is a house of winegrowers more than of communicators, whose reputation has been built slowly, cuvée after cuvée.
L'Amour de Deutz is its prestige blanc de blancs cuvée, the one in which the house pushes two convictions furthest: the chardonnay of the Côte des Blancs, and time. Nine years in the cellar for a vintage is twice what most of its neighbours practise; the magnum extends this patience.
The perfect pairing
Aperitif
The chalky minerality of Avize and the iodine of the oyster speak to each other directly; the crisp acidity stands in for a squeeze of lemon.
Starter
The house recommends shellfish for this cuvée: the sweet flesh of the prawn embraces the wine's touch of cream, while its verticality lifts it.
Main course
Nine years in the cellar give the body needed for a lobster with butter; the saline finish cleanses the richness effortlessly.
Other champagnes
from Maison Deutz
