Disgorged in June 2017 with a dosage of six grams per liter, the 2008 Brut Premier Cru Vintage is an assemblage of 50% Grand Cru Chardonnay fermented in cuves and 50% Premier Cru Pinot Noir from Aÿ fermented in 205-liter oak barrels. The wine displays a beautiful yellow-golden color and an impressively evolved bouquet that reveals matured (pretty tropical) fruit flavors intermixed with very fine limestone, spicy/floral and complex brioche/caramel aromas from the long lees aging. Although the overall impression is the maturity, it is the purity and freshness on the nose that give this Premier Cru its sexiness. Full-bodied, mouthfilling and round but also pure, dry and fresh on the palate, this is a seriously structured, very mineral and persistent cuvée with an intense and expressive finish. This has great finesse and complexity as well as lingering lemon flavors and bitterness. This is another gorgeous 2008. Tasted from lot 1728402 in August 2018. - SR