2008 Le Mesnil "Cuvee Prestige" Grand Cru Champagne

CHAMPAGNE LE MESNIL: 2008 GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS FOR A STEAL

2008 was a legendary vintage in Champagne and one of the greatest of the last few decades. The weather was absolutely perfect, with a warm but not too hot growing season and no unexpected rains or frost. The wines are absolutely thrilling with incredibly high acidity and powerful fruit laced with a crystalline, chalky minerality. Highly collectible and sought after, they drink tremendously well now but can certainly go for the distance and be cellared for years to come. 

Vintages with this much prestige usually come with an equally inflated price tag, but we found a diamond in the rough with Champagne Le Mesnil's 2008 "Cuvée Prestige" Grand Cru Champagne. Made from 100% Chardonnay and 100% Grand Cru fruit and priced at $100 dollars, this wine is an absolute no-brainer. Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger is one of Champagne's most revered Grand Cru villages, and many of the region's biggest names produce wine from Les Mesnil fruit, including Salon, Krug, and Pierre Peters just to name a few. Le Mesnil's house style is crisp and bright, with malolactic fermentation blocked to ensure Chardonnay's pure varietal character and the Grand Cru terror shine. With an incredible 12 years of lees aging, Le Mesnil's Cuvée Prestige is always a great value play, but In this 2008 vintage the wine reaches new heights. You won't find this caliber of Champagne from such a benchmark vintage at pricing this incredible, so stock up before the '08s are gone.