Champagne Pascal Agrapart Complantée. Can one deliver terroir in a bottle?

Pascal Agrapart Complantée is an Extra Brut Champagne, a field blend of 6 varieties co-planted – or complantée in French – on a single parcel in the La Fosse vineyard in the village of Avize.

Agrapart is a ‘Récoltant–Manipulant’. This means they work with grapes from their own vineyards to make this fascinating and remarkable complex champagne. It also allows them to control the quality of the entire champagne making process from start to finish.

After the harvest all six grapes are fermented an aged together in oak barrels, without filtration. Because the grapes are harvested super-ripe, hardly any sugar is added after disgorgement. Its layered, toasty character comes from four years maturation on the yeasts.

Complantée is the result of Pascal Agrapart experiment with a blend of the ancient varieties Petit Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Blanc, co-planted and vinified together with Chardonnay, P.Noir, and P.Meunier to test the strength of the Avize terroir. The older the vines, the stronger the influence of terroir, at least that’s the assumption. Not so strange, considering that Agrapart strives to express terroir in all its champagnes and works with a strong emphasis on natural viticulture.

Aromatic, with generous aromas of wildflowers and white fruits on the nose. On the palate Complantée’s is lively, fruity, mineral with a fine, creamy mouthfeel and a balanced acidity. It’s pure, refreshing, with an incredible density and depth, and long finish. La Revue du vin de France gave Agrapart a three-star rating, their highest possible rating, and one can taste why Pascal Agrapart is one of the stars of the Champagne region. Different and exciting!