Mailly Grand Cru Reserve Champagne was our pick to start the holiday season on a sparkling note! Some people look forward to holiday shopping for electronics, others shoes, clothes, or even cars. We get excited by browsing through wine shops looking for great finds.
That’s how we found Mailly.
Mailly Story
The Mailly Champagne House has been making wines since 1929. Their vineyards stretch over 160 acres on the northern slope of the “Grande Montagne de Reims.” All are classified as one hundred percent Grand Cru and are among only 17 Grand Crus in the Champagne area.
In the 70s, Mailly was famous for its finesse, but towards the 90s, the quality slightly declined, leading some critics to say that Mailly’s Champagne is detached from its terroir.
Some winemaking facts:
- It takes about 2.2 pounds to make one bottle of Champagne. Today, a kilo of Mailly Grand Cru grapes costs about 7€ —one of the reasons Champagne is expensive.
- Mailly Grand Cru only uses the first run of juice. –All Mailly Grand Cru wines go through malolactic fermentation.
- About 5-8% of Brut Réserve is aged in oak, and they also use a solera system (previous reserve wines blended together ), which makes up 5-10% of the blend every year.
Mailly Grand Cru Reserve
This easy-to-drink brut is a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay.
The aromas of stone fruits, apple blossoms, brioche, and citrus notes create a pleasant feeling of anticipation, and it doesn’t deceive after the first sip.
It feels clean, fresh, and elegant on the palate, with flavors of pastry and fruit, with soft hints of passionfruit, grapefruit, and lime. The matured sugar cuts through with over-ripe apples, making it taste slightly less refreshing than we expected from brut.
Food pairing
This wine’s elegant and soft character will pair well with raw fish (avoid spicy sauces), poached and fried fish, soft cheese, and goat cheese appetizers like Goat Cheese Bites. One of our favorite pairings is with Salad Olivier!
Aftertaste
It might not be as crisp as some other Champagne classics like Pommery. Still a good choice for those who prefer softer crowd-pleasing Champagne.
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