2017 Franck Bonville "Belles Voyes" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Everything about Champagne Frank Bonville's vintage dated prestige cuvee is special. It's from the oldest plots (planted in the 1920s/1930s) of a single vineyard, "Les Belles Voyes," from a single Grand Cru village in the Cotes des Blancs, Oger, and is 100% Grand Cru chardonnay. "The Beautiful View" is a hilltop vineyard that overlooks the village of Oger (population 514) and, as you can imagine, it is stunning. The 2017 vintage was solar, but exceptional specifically for Chardonnay. It's vinified and aged in 228L barrels before bottling and the dosage is 2.5g/l, giving it a bone-dry finish that allows the fruit shine. On the nose and palate, orange zest, mocha, pastry crust, green apple, almond, toast, and a long honeyed, lemon, and chalky finish. A remarkable champagne of depth and character.

A single-vineyard statement wine and worth every penny of the splurge. Aromas of baked apple, candied citrus, almond, and a deep wet-stone minerality unfold slowly and keep coming. The palate is concentrated and chiseled, with a creamy texture wrapped around laser-cut acidity. This is grower Champagne at its most ambitious—structured for the cellar but already mesmerizing for anyone who pulls the cork early.