Benoit Marguet

Sapience Brut 2006

9.8

Where do I start with this wine? Perhaps what I didn't like about it. Palate seems unresolved as of now and it didn't deliver as much satisfaction as the nose, but that's just nitpicking. Also a touch too oxidative - hints of sherry notes. However, in a way, this adds complexity to what was already a rich, layered array of aromas. Tasting the Sapience, I think of a warm mille feuille, with baked apples and spices in one layer, salted caramel with nuts in another, chamomile cream with fresh mandarin pieces in the last. This had complexity of the highest order and probably the best champagne I've tasted this year.

Notes: Better to serve it in a bigger format glass. Like Bouchard and Selosse, bubbles dissipates quickly here. The ample use of oak and richness of the wine does make it somewhat table-like. Also, CJ noted that's this could have pulled off as a Selosse Millesime, which I have yet to taste. Mixed info about the wine so will list them all.

From FORCEBERRY on Cellartracker:
This is a brainchild of Benoît Marguet: the world's first "prestige cuvée" by Champagne small growers. Despite labeled under Marguet's name, this wine is not made with Marguet grapes; instead the grapes come from organic producer Georges Laval, who supplied Pienot Meunier (2/3 of the wine) and biodynamic producer David Léclapart, who supplied Chardonnay (1/3 of the wine), all grapes from minimum 1er Cru-level vineyards. The wine is vinified by Benoît Maguet and Hervé Jestin, a man best known as the cellar master of Duval-leroy. The wine is fermented and aged in old barriques for 6 months, after which the wine is bottled and left to age in Marguet's cellars for a minimum of 5 years. This wine is disgorged in September 2012 with a dosage of 3 g/l.

From Planetwine:
Sapience is a collaboration between Benoit Marguet, Benoit Lahaye, Vincent Laval, and David Leclapart. The concept is to craft a Champagne using extreme biodynamic methods. This rendition of Sapience comprises Chardonnay from David Leclapart, and Pinot Meunier from Vincent Laval. The next version will have Pinot Noir from Benoit Lahaye. The wine is made in the cellar of Benoit Marguet, who is one of the most passionate biodynamic winemakers we've encountered. The base wine spends two years aging in Bordeaux barrels before the second fermentation in bottle. More Chardy in blend.

From Pillariwine:

Benoit Marguet partnered with Herve Jestin to create this wine, the first ever certified organic prestige Champagne blended from across the region. They release the same wine with two different labels. One is Sapience/Marguet the other one is Champagne Jestin. Grapes are from the fellows of Hervé Jestin, Vincent Laval(Cumières, PN&PM, Biologic) and David Leclappart(Trépail, CH, Biodynamie). — 8 years ago