CHAMPAGNE
LE PINOT NOIR 2011
by FREDERIC SAVART
`“Tiré Liège” (aging under cork during the second fermentation) is a process that allows more exposure to oxygen during élèvage (a French word that in this context means to “bring up” or “raise” the wine as though it were a child); exposure to oxygen creates deeper, more complex and finely textured Champagnes. While barrel ageing is relatively common in Champagne, tirer à liege is less so… and it’s not for the faint hearted, considered a risky business tackled by only the most skilled vignerons.
I N T RO D U C I N G . . .
2011 “Le Pinot Noir” was Savart’s first vintage trialing this process. Using Domaine wine aged to perfection (disgorged May 2023) this cuvée yielded just 850 magnums. We visited the cellar of Savart recently and our team were privileged to taste through a treasure trove of his cuvées.
Subsequently Wine Source have been entrusted by Frederic Savart to allocate the first ever release in the UK to our most esteemed clients.
We consider this cuvée ready to enjoy, so please don’t hesitate to apply for an allocation.
” L E P I N O T N O I R “
2 0 1 1
T I R É L I È G E
by CHAMPAGNE FREDERIC SAVART
PREMIER CRU | EXTRA-BRUT
£1,425 In Bond
Per case of three Magnums (3 x 1.5L)
Total Production: 850 Magnums
Vineyards: Ecueil and surrounding Petite Montagne
Vintage: 2011
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Disgorgement Date: May 2023
Dosage: 2g/L
Exclusive WINE SOURCE UK distribution
Frederic Savart is an independent Champagne maker who creates beautifully expressive, vivid and crystalline wines of great depth and power.
He is a terroir fanatic, producing what he refers to as vins identitaires, which express their sense of place as something more authentic and true than the need to fit into the “traditional” Champagne categories of Brut, Blanc or Rose.
Savart’s grandfather had planted his first vines in 1947 and later passed his tiny property to Frederic’s father. He worked alongside him whilst purchasing more holdings, until taking over completely in 2005. He immediately did away with herbicides and pesticides, and took a much more labour-intensive approach to tending to the Pinot Noir vines that grow on the fine clay of Ecueil, including ensuring that any planting he did was with a selection massale of cuttings from his grandfather’s oldest plots.
Today he makes his champagnes with an artisanal yet uncompromising approach. 50 separate vineyard plots scattered around a minuscule 4.5 hectares of almost entirely Pinot Noir vines, in the Premier Cru villages of Ecueil and Villers-aux-Noeuds on the glorious slopes of the Montagne-de-Reims.
Thanks to a meticulous approach to winemaking and forward thinking philosophy, Frederic Savart has cemented his reputation as one of the hottest Champagne Grower of his generation. The fruit of his artistry need to be tasted to be fully comprehended. His wines live on a completely different planet – authentic artisanal Champagne not to be missed.
