# Trépail 1er Cru "Le Champ Jeanvrai" Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Champagne (2022)

- **Producer:** Domaine Carré Frères
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Champagne, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €95
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, grapefruit, orange, blossom, blackcurrant, blueberry, butter, brioche, toast, smoke, almond, hazelnut

## About this wine

Domaine Carré Frères is run by young brothers Édouard and Victor Carré, representing the fourth generation of a grower family dating back to 1894. Launched as an independent brand in 2020, the estate is located in Trépail, a Premier Cru village in the Montagne de Reims. While this sub-region is globally famous for Pinot Noir, Trépail is a unique anomaly celebrated specifically for its exceptional Chardonnay. "Le Champ Jeanvrai" is a single-vineyard (lieu-dit) expression sourced from old vines planted in 1964, offering a rare, highly concentrated expression of this unique terroir.

## Interesting facts

- Trépail is a rare Chardonnay-focused enclave in the Montagne de Reims, a sub-region otherwise dominated by Pinot Noir.
- The single parcel 'Le Champ Jeanvrai' features old vines planted in 1964, yielding highly concentrated fruit.
- The estate uses up to 50% new oak for aging, a bold and risky technique masterfully executed in Champagne.
- Domaine Carré Frères was launched in 2020 after Édouard Carré experimented with just two small barrels in 2019.

## Food pairing

The high acidity and intense chalky minerality of this Extra Brut Champagne cut through rich, fatty textures, while its oak-aged body and buttery complexity perfectly mirror creamy sauces, roasted poultry, and aged cheeses. The fine effervescence cleanses the palate between bites of decadent dishes.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process is highly artisanal and minimalist. Hand-harvested grapes undergo primary alcoholic fermentation with native yeasts in oak barrels, followed by complete malolactic fermentation in wood. The wine is aged for 10 months on its fine lees in 450-liter oak demi-muids, of which 50% are new oak barrels. It is bottled unfiltered and unfined. Following secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine undergoes extensive aging on its lees for 30 months before being disgorged with a minimal Extra Brut dosage of 2 g/L.