Pascal Doquet | Champ d'Alouettes | Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut | Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Côte des Blancs, Champagne | 2005
Pascal Doquet is one of the Côte des Blancs' most respected grower-producers, farming certified organic vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger — one of Champagne's most celebrated Grand Cru villages, renowned worldwide for producing Blanc de Blancs of extraordinary mineral precision, tension, and longevity. Doquet has been certified organic by Ecocert since 2010, a commitment to the land that translates directly into wines of exceptional purity and terroir transparency.
Champ d'Alouettes — "Field of Larks" — is a single mid-slope lieu-dit in the heart of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The parcel's chalk-rich, freely draining soils encourage the vines to develop extraordinarily deep root systems, giving the finished Champagne remarkable mineral intensity and depth. Pascal Doquet selected fruit from some of the estate's finest vines in this parcel to produce a wine that reflects the identity of the site with exceptional clarity.
The 2005 vintage in Champagne was warm and generous, producing wines of exceptional concentration and ripeness. The wine was vinified and matured partly in oak barrels, adding texture and subtle breadth without overwhelming its mineral character. Malolactic fermentation was deliberately avoided to preserve the natural freshness and tension of the Chardonnay. It then spent an exceptionally long period — approximately 15 years — aging on its lees in bottle, developing the fine mousse, creamy texture, and complex mature aromas associated with carefully cellared vintage Champagne. Final dosage of approximately 3 g/L places it firmly in the Extra-Brut category.
Deep golden in the glass with a fine, persistent bead. The bouquet opens with lemon oil, candied citrus peel, baked apple, and ripe pear, followed by layers of toasted brioche, hazelnut, almond, dried white flowers, and subtle honeycomb. With air, notes of crushed chalk, oyster shell, smoke, and warm spice emerge, revealing the extraordinary complexity of extended lees aging. On the palate, structured, vinous, and beautifully concentrated — preserved lemon, yellow apple, Mirabelle plum, and citrus zest balanced by toasted nuts, biscuit, and delicate spice. A firm chalky backbone provides freshness and precision despite the richness of the mature vintage. The Extra-Brut dosage keeps the finish dry, focused, and saline, with lingering notes of citrus, roasted hazelnut, and mineral chalk.
A fully developed, gastronomic Champagne drinking beautifully now. Serve moderately chilled in a generous Champagne or white wine glass. Pair with oysters, scallops, langoustines, lobster, turbot, sole in beurre blanc, roast chicken with mushrooms, truffle risotto, aged Comté, Parmesan, and mature goat cheese.
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Producer: Pascal Doquet
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Cuvée: Champ d'Alouettes
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Classification: Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs
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Appellation: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
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Grape: Chardonnay (100%)
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Vintage: 2005
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Farming: Certified Organic (Ecocert since 2010)
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Soils: Cretaceous chalk; single lieu-dit Champ d'Alouettes
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Vinification: Partly in oak barrels; no malolactic fermentation
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Lees Aging: ~15 years on lees in bottle
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Dosage: ~3 g/L (Extra-Brut)
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Alcohol: ~12.5% ABV
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Availability: Extremely limited
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Bottle Size: 750ml
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