Champagne Carré Frères - Les Blanches Maladries 2022
Champagne Carré Frères with its cuvée Les Blanches Maladries 2022 is a rare edition deeply rooted in the identity of Verzy Grand Cru, one of the most prestigious villages in the Montagne de Reims. Édouard and Victor Carré embody a new generation of Champagne makers attentive to the places, with just the right maturity and a livelier expression of the terroirs. The family estate extends over about twenty-one hectares of old vines, spread between the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Bar. Les Blanches Maladries fits into this search for precise, gastronomic single-vineyard champagnes, far from standardized blends. The 2022 vintage, generous and bright, brings a beautiful depth of fruit to this cuvée while maintaining a very Champagne-like chalky framework. With a limited production of a few thousand bottles and a handful of magnums, this Champagne remains confidential and naturally sought after. It is a bottle of character, intended for lovers of rare, dry, expressive grower champagnes built for the table.
This Champagne combines Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in a Grand Cru expression from Verzy. Chardonnay brings momentum, tension, citrus, white fruits, and that chalky sensation that stretches the mouth. Pinot Noir completes the ensemble with more structure, depth, flesh, and intensity. The poor and chalky soils of the Maladries sector give the wine a particular energy, with marked minerality and a very persistent finish. The cellar work remains deliberately low intervention, with natural fermentations and aging in barrels that accompany the material without masking it. The tirage carried out in June 2023, followed by a long aging on lees, allows the bubbles to gain finesse and the wine to develop a more vinous dimension. The Extra-Brut dosage at 1.5 g/L highlights the purity of the terroir and gives a dry, tight, and precise Champagne.
In the glass, the wine reveals an intense, mineral, and very gastronomic profile. The nose opens on ripe lemon, pear, yellow apple, white fruits, and dried flowers, with a touch of damp chalk and a slightly smoky nuance. The palate is ample but perfectly tight, supported by fine bubbles and an almost chalky texture. The 2022 vintage brings density and maturity, while the low dosage preserves a dry, straight, and salivating finish. The whole finds a beautiful balance between energy, depth, and elegance, with persistence that confirms the level of the terroir. This Champagne can be served around 10 to 12°C, in a white wine glass, to reveal its dimension as a great sparkling wine. It will ideally accompany langoustines, scallops, turbot, creamy poultry, mushroom risotto, aged Comté cheese, or gastronomic cuisine around delicate textures.
Grape varieties: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir
