Country: France

Region: Champagne

Vintage: NV

Cépage: Chardonnay (100%)

Size: 750 ml

Rating(s): 90 (RP)

In 2010, at the age of 26, Etienne Calsac decided to take control of his grandparents’ three hectares of vineyards scattered in and around Avize, which had previously been rented out to the grandes maisons. Chez Calsac, stewardship of the terroir is the basis for great Champagne, so Etienne set out to ensure that all the vineyards are planted with grass cover crops, plowed, and transitioned to organic farming.

Etienne himself had worked several vintages helping with press before starting his own domaine, and he decided to maintain the same strict quality controls, as well as add a few personal touches inspired by tastings and conversations with other young vignerons. Each parcel is vinified separately, with a small percentage of wines aged in barrels. 

"Étienne Calsac’s 2021 vintage-based NV Blanc de Blancs L'Échappée Belle, disgorged in May 2024 with a dosage of four grams per liter, combines the broad-shouldered musculature and amplitude of Montgenost in Côte de Sézanne (half of the blend) with the tauter, acid-laden profile of Grauves in Côte des Blancs and the texture of Bisseuil in Grande Vallée. Defined by the incisive base vintage, complemented by 20% of reserve wines from 2020, it unfolds from the glass with aromas of citrus fruit, white flowers and pear. Medium-bodied, pillowy and underpinned by bright acidity, it concludes with a delicately chalky finish. Vinified mostly in tank, with about 30% in oak, it represents half of the grower’s production."

Kristaps Karklins (RP) - 12/24