Guy Charlemagne’s Vieilles Vignes Mésnillésime 2015 is a distinguished vintage Blanc de Blancs produced entirely from old-vine Chardonnay grown in the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Part of the estate’s limited Mésnillésime collection, the wine is designed to reveal a specific expression of Le Mesnil through mature vines and the character of a single growing season. The domaine’s old vines average approximately 58 years of age and are rooted in the village’s exceptionally chalk-rich soils.
The 2015 vintage delivered a warm, concentrated expression of Chardonnay, balanced by the naturally firm acidity and pronounced minerality of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The wine was vinified partly in oak barrels and did not undergo malolactic fermentation, helping preserve its freshness, tension, and pure mineral character. It spent approximately six years aging in the estate’s cellars before disgorgement and was finished with a very low dosage of around 3 grams per liter, placing it firmly in the Extra Brut category.
In the glass, it displays a pale golden color with subtle green highlights and a fine, persistent mousse. The bouquet is intense and refined, opening with candied lemon, ripe apple, pear, acacia honey, and white flowers. With air, deeper notes of brioche, toasted almond, flint, gentle spice, and a delicate smoky or iodine-like character begin to emerge.
The palate is rich and finely textured while remaining precise and energetic. Ripe orchard fruit and candied citrus are layered with pastry, almond, subtle oak, and chalky minerality. Bright acidity keeps the wine fresh and beautifully balanced, leading to a long, elegant finish marked by citrus zest, salinity, flint, and a delicate vanilla note.
This is a serious, gastronomic Champagne that can be enjoyed now for its combination of richness and freshness, or cellared further as its brioche, nut, and mineral characteristics continue to develop. Serve it with oysters, caviar, scallops, lobster, roasted turbot, sole meunière, poultry with cream and morels, or aged Comté.
95 Points — Wine Enthusiast: A blend of several old-vine parcels from across Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, this wine has benefited from seven years of aging as it begins to approach maturity. Its low dosage highlights citrus and apple flavors alongside the intense acidity of Grand Cru Chardonnay. This Champagne has the structure to continue aging beautifully.
Review published December 2019.
90 Points — Vinous “The 2015 Mesnillésime Vieilles Vignes is another attractive wine in this range, done in a light-bodied, ethereal style. Dried lemon peel, crushed flowers, chamomile and dried herbs show the gentle patina of age.”
Grape Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Village: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Classification: Grand Cru
Cuvée: Vieilles Vignes Mésnillésime
Vintage: 2015
Style: Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut
Vinification: Partially aged in oak; no malolactic fermentation
Dosage: Approximately 3 g/L
Lees Aging: Approximately six years
Bottle Size: 750ml
Serving Temperature: 48–54°F
Cellaring: Enjoy now or hold for further development.
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