Pascal Agrapart Complantée Grand Cru Extra Brut
We have 1 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Champagne is not a three-grape region. The appellation rules still permit seven varieties, and four of them, Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris, have nearly vanished from the vineyards. Complantée brings six of the seven back into a single parcel in La Fosse, a Grand Cru site in Avize, a Côte des Blancs village known almost entirely for Chardonnay. The varieties grow interplanted in the same parcel, an old practice that modern Champagne largely abandoned. Avize's chalk and limestone, with clay layered over it in places, is the common denominator. The point of the parcel is to test whether that ground speaks louder than the grapes planted in it, which makes Complantée one of the most interesting experiments in grower Champagne.
The Wine
Pascal Agrapart Complantée is a field blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Arbane, and Petit Meslier, with Chardonnay at roughly a quarter and the rest split among the other five. All six are fermented together in oak barrels and aged together, unfiltered, so the blend is decided in the vineyard rather than in the cellar. Each release combines two harvests, spends years on its lees, and is finished Extra Brut. In past releases, expect wildflowers, pear, white peach, and lemon on the nose, then a creamy, dense mousse with iodine, a touch of menthol, and baking spice, closing long and saline. Pinot Noir and Meunier add a red-fruited width you would not find in a Blanc de Blancs from the same village, while the old varieties keep the acidity bright.
The People
Pascal Agrapart, who has led this family estate since 1984, is best known for single-parcel Blanc de Blancs, which makes Complantée his most curious project. He took up the old varieties to see whether Avize terroir would come through grapes other than Chardonnay, on the conviction that the older and deeper-rooted the vines, the more the site takes over from the variety. The farming backs that idea up: soils plowed rather than sprayed with herbicide, local compost, and parts of the estate, including vines in La Fosse, tilled by a horse named Vénus. His son Ambroise, the fifth generation, has worked alongside him since 2018.
Food Pairing
The Pinot in the blend gives Complantée enough body for heartier food than most Avize Champagne. Roast a pork loin with apples, shallots, and a splash of Calvados; the acidity cuts the fat while the orchard fruit meets the apples. Gougères made with aged Gruyère are a classic for a reason, the lees-rich texture echoing the toasty pastry. Crab cakes with a lemon-caper rémoulade match the wine's saline edge, and a mushroom and leek tart with thyme picks up the spice and earth from the red grapes. Pour it for the friend who thinks every Champagne tastes the same.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Champagne is the northernmost major wine region in France, defined by its cool climate, chalky soils, and centuries-old tradition of sparkling wine production. Centered around the towns of Reims and Épernay, the region is divided into key subzones like the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, each favoring different grapes—Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay respectively. The region’s signature chalk and limestone soils provide excellent drainage and impart a distinctive mineral character to the wines. While méthode champenoise was refined here in the 17th century, Champagne’s global prestige grew through the 19th and 20th centuries, cementing its role as the benchmark for sparkling wine worldwide.
