Marie Duval-Doyard is taking an increasingly confident hand with her husband in the administration of their family estate in Champagne.  They are proprietors of 23 ha: 16 in the Marne, split between Le Mesnil and Vertus, 3 ha of Pinot in the Aube, and a further 4 ha of Pinot in the Aisne.  Eighty percent of the production is vinified in cask (none of it new).  The wines spend six to eight months on the lees (with bâtonnage) and are normally bottled in June.  Malo is blocked systematically, dosage is low, and the wines see a minimum of four years on the lees for NV and 5 – 8 years on the lees for vintage wines.  The house has invested heavily in recent years including new cellars and a new cuverie.  Lots of renovation. New cellars.

Brut Blanc de Blancs NV « Brut Expérience »

The wine is 60% from Vertus and 40% from Mesnil, 5 years on the lees.  80% is from the base year of 2012, and 20% is a combination of resesrve wines from 2009 – 2011.  .  60% of the vin clair was fermented in cask.  The finished champagne is dosed at 4 g/l.  The wine has a pronounced citrus and saline edge, with lovely texture and length.  For me this is an absolutely spectacular starting point, incisive and a bit sharp, but infinitely refreshing and enchantingly crisp.  ****

Brut Blanc de Blancs NV « Mesnil Brut Nature »

This has a base of 2008 with the addition of 10% reserve wines.  The base wine here is completely different, and the fruit for this blend is from vines up to 70 years of age.  While very structured, tense and crisp, this is a wine of extraordinary concentration and verve, with a well-spring of citrusy fruit but also a richness and density that are surprising.  Impressive length.  This is among the most concentrated nonvintage wines from the Côte de Blancs.  ****

Brut NV « Pur Chardonnay Mesnil Experience »

Here is a softer, gentler expression of the Mesnil fruit from the Doyard estate, although this uses younger from (from 40 – 45-year-old vines).  The base year here is 2012, and the dosage is 4 g/l.  Here the emphasis is on soft floral notes and a ripe apple fruit, with a bit less of the yeasty concentration of the old-vine cuvée.  Pleasant, much more approachable.  ***

Brut Rosé NV « Rosé Experience »

The wine here is 80% Pinot Noir from Vertus from a plot of 80 year old vines and 20% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil.  Production is limited to 5,000 bottles each year.  The wine is done in the saignée method, but completely in cask.  The wine was bottled in 2015, and the finished champagne is dosed at 4 g/l.  Here there is a lovely red berry fruit aroma and a hint of floral notes.  The texture is soft and supple.  The wine is not overly structured, but rather easily approachable and yet it lingers well on the palate. ***