Suenen Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Oiry Grand Cru (2017) NV

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): “The new release of Oiry Blanc de Blancs from Aurélien Suenen is from the base year of 2017 and was disgorged in June of 2020, with a finishing dosage of three grams per liter. As is customary with Monsieur Suenen’s non-vintage bottlings, this wine includes reserve wines from the previous two vintages. The superb bouquet wafts from the glass in an utterly refined blend of pear, apple, brioche, chalky minerality, incipient notes of crème patissière and a delicate topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and beautifully structured, with a rock solid core of fruit, stunning backend mineral drive, utterly refined mousse and a very long, nascently complex and perfectly balanced finish. This is a beautiful wine that is so well balanced out of the blocks that it is quite approachable, but the wine really deserves five to ten years in the cellar to grow into all its inherent beauty! 2020-2050. (Nov/Dec 2020)”

93 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): “Brilliant, light golden yellow. At first smoky, brioche accentuated nose, with air, fresh lime zest, delicate herbal notes of honeysuckle and verbena in the background. Straightforward, dry, structured, taut acidic nerve with iodine underpinning, elegant, fine mousse, delicate saltiness to the aftertaste which remains long. Has good ageing potential. Rich in finesse! (11/19/20)”

Producer notes: “Base 2017 vintage, 100% Chardonnay. Expressive aromas of chalk, lime meringue pie, green apple, pear, and white flowers abound in this pristine, crisp Champagne. The Oiry is a precise wine, with a solid core of lemon candy, buttered croissant, praline, violets and freesia on the palate. Very fine spring water texture with vibrant, buoyant energy on the palate. Superb, lingering finish with distinct sensations of salinity and chalkiness coming from the terroir.”