2012 Michel Arnould "Causalité" Verzenay Grand Cru Champagne

We've had a lot of great 2012 Champagnes come through here thanks to Gary Westby, who I have personally voted as Champagne Buyer of the Year for the last five years I've worked here. It's only an award in my head, which also means he's won five years in a row and all of you that have interacted with him already know that I have voted with your interests in mind. This Champagne is absolutely delicious, the nose has some sourdough baguette notes at the forefront and then pretty white flowers, a little red apple skin, and then the chalky minerality. The palate is just amazing, more sourdough notes, but also a lot more fruit with red apples, a little hint of underripe rapsberry, and blood orange. The acidity is outstanding, and the depth and complexity are off the charts. This is probably one of the best bottles of Champagne under $100 that we have in the store right now, and that's saying a lot.