Femme de Champagne Grand Cru (Duval-Leroy)

Drink it now or leave it in the cellar for 10 years. No need to decant. The Duval-Leroy Champagne house was founded in Vertus in 1859 from the meeting of a merchant, Armand Edouard Leroy, and a champagne winemaker, Jules Duval. This business association then turned into a family affair when Duval's son married Leroy's daughter. In 1991, when their grandson Jean Charles Duval-Leroy died, the management of the house was left to his dynamic wife Carol Duval-Leroy. It was she who launched the famous Femme de Champagne cuvée and helped the winery's recent growth. His three sons have now all taken on responsibilities within the house. La Femme de Champagne is one of their most iconic cuvées. The grapes come from the Grands Crus vineyards of Avize, Chouilly, Oger, and Mesnil-sur-Oger for Chardonnay and from the Grand Cru Bouzy for Pinot Noir (present only in small percentages in the blend). The expert work of Carol Duval-Leroy and Sandrine Logette-Jardin, her cellar master, who vinify each plot separately in oak barrels, before aging for 9 years, complete the great work of creating this incredible wine. Its golden yellow color displays complex tones of beautiful maturity. Its brioche and buttery flavors, characterized by the predominance of Chardonnay and the woody and vanilla aromas due to aging in oak barrels, anticipate the sumptuous mouthfeel sensation and the long persistence. It is a silky and complex Champagne, excellent with rich fish preparations or with poultry. But the best pairing is with a creamy chicken supreme.