The 2013 Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Millesime from Domaine Les Monts Fournois is a companion vintage to the 2014, from a year that presented significant challenges across Champagne but rewarded patient winemakers with wines of notable freshness and mineral definition. The 2013 growing season was cold, wet and difficult, producing very low yields; but the resulting wines, where quality was maintained through rigorous selection, showed surprising precision and longevity rather than the ripeness of warmer years.

Verzenay Grand Cru Pinot Noir in the 2013 vintage produced wines of naturally lower alcohol and higher acidity than the previous two vintages, a character that translated directly into wines with exceptional longevity and a distinctive mineral austerity. At over eleven years of age, the 2013 Blanc de Noirs should be revealing the complex development that low-yield, high-acidity Champagne vintages are capable of when given adequate time: dried fruit, chalky mineral notes and a secondary complexity replacing the primary freshness of youth.

The comparison between the 2013 and 2014 from the same producer and the same Grand Cru site is instructive for buyers interested in vintage character within the Champagne appellation. Where the 2014 presents classic structure and accessible complexity, the 2013's more austere and concentrated character from the low-yield vintage demands more time and offers a different perspective on Verzenay Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs.

Drink from 2024 to 2032. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees in a broad Champagne glass. Excellent with grilled turbot, sole meuniere, fine charcuterie or aged hard cheese.

Pale gold with fine mature mousse. The nose reveals the 2013's characteristic precision: chalk, dried yellow fruit, smoke, brioche and a steely mineral backbone from the low-yield vintage conditions. The palate is taut and mineral with vibrant acidity and a long, chiselled finish. More austere than the 2014; its complexity rewards patient handling and correct serving temperature.