Vintage 2018 Oeil de Perdrix

The origins and name of this cuvée go back to the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Since it was impossible to artificially "decolorize" the juice of black grapes, a Champagne with an "Œil" tint was created. This was a slightly pink tinted Champagne, like Œil de Perdrix. This is a pressed 'rosé': an authentic Champagne, combining freshness, elegance, vinosity and length, with a complex nose, beautifully infused with aromas of red fruit. Fermentation takes place in Burgundian oak barrels that have been used for 5 years. The malolactic fermentation is blocked and the champagne rests on yeast for at least 48 months before being disgorged.

• Style: elegant & complex
• Vintage: 2018
• Dosage: 2gr/l, extra brut
• Grape variety: 100% chardonnay
• Vinification in oak, rosé de presse
• Subregion: Vertus, Côte des Blancs

For generations, the Doyard family has cultivated vineyards around Vertus, in the southernmost part of Côte des Blancs. The Doyards have been champagne makers for four generations. While father Yannick had already opted for organic cultivation, son Charles went further and embraced the biodynamic approach, complete with a horse instead of tractors between the vines.

Charles was widely regarded as a talented, visionary winemaker when he passed away unexpectedly in 2017 at the age of 31. His younger brother Guillaume, who was working in marketing at the time, decided to run the domain. He oversees some ten hectares of vineyards in grand cru municipalities such as Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Cramant and premier cru municipality of Vertus. Chardonnay is the grape planted here, and Doyard also grows a little Pinot Noir at Ay. Some of the grapes are sold to other producers, Doyard itself produces approximately 50,000 bottles per year.