To mark this symbolic year, the house is unveiling an exclusive limited edition: Brut Millésimé 2008. Paying tribute to this outstanding heritage, the house is showcasing a prestigious year that has become known for its fine champagnes with exceptional ageing potential.
Alfred Gratien presents a unique variation on the 2008 vintage in 1,600 bottles and 160 jeroboams. This limited edition expresses the outstanding terroir, unrivalled know-how and timeless excellence that have built the reputation of Alfred Gratien over the last 160 years.
Hand-crafted vintage 2008
Meticulously produced by Nicolas Jaeger, a fourth-generation cellar master, the 2008 vintage by Alfred Gratien evenly balances the minerality of chardonnay, the roundness of meunier, and the charisma of pinot noir. The 2008 vintage is one of the most remarkable of its decade in Champagne. Despite challenging weather in early autumn, then heavy rainfall and low temperatures, the summer sunshine and drier conditions brought the grapes slowly to full ripeness. As a result, the 2008 harvest was of remarkably high quality, with healthy fruit that showed good balance between acidity and sweetness, as well as high phenolic ripeness.
The wines are therefore wonderfully fresh, tight, pure and precise. They have excellent structure, pronounced minerality and complex aromas of fresh fruit, flowers and brioche notes.
Brut Millésimé 2008 has a characteristic intense gold colour and a fine, sparkling effervescence. Its nose starts off delicate with tangy and ripe aromas of candied lemon and ginger. It then blossoms into notes of brioche and fresh pineapple, expressing wonderful personality and elegance. On the palate, the attack is lively, with a consistency that contributes aromas of wood and roasted pineapple. The quality of the effervescence creates a silky sensation that pleasantly punctuates the tasting experience. This exceptional vintage is a great match for warm oysters, scallops or even langoustines roasted in salted butter.
A bottle design of excellence
Each bottle is adorned with a soft metal label that is carefully applied by hand and decorated with hot-stamped and embossed gold. Alfred Gratien’s delicate angel appears on this limited edition, subtly evoking the angels’ share (referring to the first fermentation of Alfred Gratien wines in barrels) and the resting time that these exceptional champagnes require in the cellar.
Brut Millésimé 2008 wines in limited-edition bottle and jeroboam format are available from the Alfred Gratien store in Épernay and from wine merchants at the recommended retail price (inc. tax) of EUR160 and EUR1,060, respectively.
