Non Plus Ultra 2002

Vinmøte Kim 30. august 2018

Champagne Benard-Pitois Brut Premier Cru 2008
"Huschampagnen" til Kim det siste året. Synes den nå er blitt mer bløt i stilen og mangler en viss presisjon den tidligere hadde. 80% chardonnay, noe som ikke er helt åpenbart i en moden stil. Nå har den mye gul frukt og bør drikkes. Men et bra kjøp til kr. 369,-. 86 poeng


Champagne Côte Bereche Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2006
Spenstig og "grapey". Skarp og lineær i en mellomårgang. Moderat autolyse og nedfallsepler. En deilig og frisk champagne som drikker godt nå, men kan fremdeles lagres. 40 mnd på bunnfall. Kr. 625,- . Røa har fremdeles flasker ! 89 poeng.


Champagne N.P.U. 2002, Bruno Paillard
Åpner seg pent opp i glasset etter 10min. Vinøs og en stor, bred munnfølelse. Mye fat. Rik og moden. Men ikke åpenbart et videre lagringsprosjekt. Årgangen bør kanskje drikkes allerede ? 11 år på bunnfall ! Men ikke verdt kr. 2000+. 90-92 poeng.

Just 6,200 bottles and 300 magnums – each of which are individually numbered – of N.P.U. 2002 have been made.

Significantly, the N.P.U. 2002 follows the 2003 vintage, which was launched last year, despite hailing from a more recent harvest.

Speaking to the drinks business yesterday, head of the Champagne house, Bruno Paillard, stressed that this really was the final opportunity to buy on release a prestige cuvée from the prized 2002 vintage.

“We really are the last to release a 2002,” he said, adding that this N.P.U. is the sixth “edition” in the history of the prestige cuvée, following the 1990, ’95, ’96, ’99 and ’03.

He also drew attention to the importance of not only the N.P.U’s long period ageing on the lees, but also off them, following disgorgement.

The Champagne has spent 11 years in contact with its yeast lees, and, having been disgorged in September 2014, has spent exactly three years resting after the sediment was expelled from the bottle, and a dosage of just 3 g/l was added to the cuvée.

According to Bruno, N.P.U. is made “only in great vintages, only using grand cru grapes, and it is always half Chardonnay, half Pinot Noir.”

It is also made using “exclusively first pressings”, while the wine is fermented and aged in second and third-fill barriques, which Bruno sources from prominent white wine producers in Graves.

In total, N.P.U. always spends at least nine months in barrel, and then a minimum of 10 years ageing on its lees in bottle.

Although Paillard told db that he doesn’t normally comment on future vintage releases, he did say that he “cannot say ‘no’ to the 2004”, admitting that there will be a 2004 N.P.U. to follow the 2002 and 2003.