Tech stuff

How's it taste?

With a gold yellow colour, Cuvée D has a delicate and persistant mousse. White blossom and soft spices appear first on the nose, mellowed by notes of toasted brioche and vanilla on the finish. Cuvée D presents freshness with mandarin and orange zest notes. It offers a deliciously fresh and creamy champagne of great intensity.

How was it made?

From a strict selection of Pinot noir and Chardonnay plots, this brut Champagne, aged 5 years, blends together several vintages.

The "D Collection" wines are Devaux's very best. The grapes come from highly select, sustainably farmed parcels across 50 hectares. The majority of the vineyards are situated in the Aube on Kimmeridgian limestone-clay soils. This continental location, on the slopes of the Côte des Bars, is important; it gives the Pinot Noir richness on the nose and a long finish, while retaining finesse. The Chardonnay in the blend is grown on the fine chalky soils of the Côte des Blancs, Vitry and Montgueux ("the Meursault of Champagne") to give liveliness and elegance.

90% of the base wines are fermented in stainless steel, with 10% fermented in 300 litre barrels. This is followed by partial malolactic fermentation. The blend comprises 40% reserve wines (50% for the magnum), a quarter of which are from two perpetual soleras: a Chardonnay solera and a Cuvée D solera that have been going since 1995 and 2002 respectively. The remaining reserve wines are aged in large oak casks. Following bottling, the liqueur de tirage is added and the wine has a slow second fermentation in bottle and extended ageing on its lees for over 60 months (the legal minimum is 15 months). This results in a wine with a finer, more persistent mousse and greater potential for complexity. After disgorgement, the wine receives a light brut dosage of 7g/l.

Who made it?

Devaux is a boutique Champagne brand located in Bar-sur-Seine in the southerly Aube region of Champagne, some 60km north of Burgundy. Thanks to this favourable southerly location, Devaux is a Pinot Noir and rosé specialist. The house was founded in 1846, and was family owned for generations. In 1987, in the absence of a family heir, ownership was passed to a united group of winegrower families, known today as the "Groupe Vinicole Champagne Devaux". Thanks to being owned by these growers, Devaux can boast total control over its grape supply which is a rarity in Champagne, a region where growers traditionally sell to the houses who control the brands.