Apollonis Palmyre Brut Nature

- Pinot Meunier Dominant Champagne - Expressive and complex wine made by ageing it to the sounds of music - Brut Nature = no added sugar! Enjoy this amazing Brut Nature from the Marne Valley, amde of 65% Pinot Meunier and 35% Chardonnay. With a dosage of 0g, this is a delicate, fine wine that would go amazingly well with oysters, sushi or shellfish. This is a lively, pure and frank symphony, as Palmyre, Michel’s great grandmother, was. A family story. Base vintage is 2011. About the House The Michel Loriot range of champagnes bears the name champagne Apollonis. Found in the small village of Festigny, the Apollonis estate owns 7 hectares of vines comprising 20 or so separate plots planted for the most part with pinot meunier (80%), some chardonnay (18%) and a little pinot noir (2%). The estate has been awarded the high environmental value (HVE) certificate, the highest award recognizing respect and care for the land, the environment and its biodiversity. Festigny has relatively chalky soils for the Vallee de la Marne and the village itself lies in the warm valley, fully exposed to the sun. Within this valley is a solitary hill upon which the best vineyards of the village are located. With its steep slopes and a crown of trees on top, it is almost reminiscent of the hill of Corton in burgundy. The majority of this domaine’s vineyards are found surrounding this hill, planted on steep slopes in clay rich in marl and limestone. Only natural fertilizers are used to treat the vineyards (it’s been over a decade since Michel has eradicated all use of herbicides). Michel firmly believes that getting things right in the vineyard allows healthy grapes to be harvested, which enables minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Production is a mere 300 000 bottles a year. Music in champagne "Loriot’s wines show a rich vinosity, expressing the characters of both the meunier grape and of this section of the Marne’s left bank. They tend to be substantial wines, as might be expected from these clay soils, yet they also demonstrate a lively finesse and prominent acidity. As of late 2012, Michel Loriot, an aficionado of classical music, has unveiled a new branding scheme for the estate, with labels reflecting a musical theme. Music plays a role in the aging of the wines as well—Loriot believes that its vibrations make a positive contribution to the texture and finesse of the wine as it ages, and he has installed speakers throughout his cellars. Along with the rebranding, he has renamed all of his cuvées as well, and the new collection comprises eight champagnes, grouped into three categories: Les Classiques, Les Mutines and Les Virtuoses." Peter Liem