This week Richard Juhlin tasted a new trio of Champagne’s från C. Cazals. [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
C. Cazals
★★★★
One of Le Mesnil’s better-known producers. The lovely Delphine Cazals, used to be married to Olivier Bonville of the firm Franck Bonville, produces clear, pure, fast-maturing, toasted Champagnes in a somewhat light style. She has access to grapes from Le Mesnil and Oger and sells most of them to Bollinger, Roederer, and Deutz. She convinced her family, at last, to make a prestige cuvée of Clos Cazals, the walled vineyard that you see to your right when you enter Oger from the north. The vines were planted in 1957 by Oliver Cazals & some parts replanted by Claude & Delhine in 1985 and 1986 and the vineyard is all of 3.5 hectares, but, due to rigorous culling, she only makes 2,000 bottles of this future cult wine.
‘Clos Cazals is often one of the best wines of the vintage. and always the best in Oger.’
Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin
2015 C. Cazals ‘Clos Cazals’
90(93)p
100 ch
TASTING NOTE It is always one of the greatest wine experiences of the year when you get to sink your teeth into the newest vintage from the old logs in Oger. After 9 years of storage with the yeast, it is time to start sniffing. Today, Delphine has 20% oak barrels for its famous closvin planted in 1957. The dosage is 2 grams. Sparkling light golden color and a beautiful stream of pearl necklace bubbles. A little closed young and undeveloped scent. But what meets the nose is beautiful. Candied citrus, jasmine and croissant are the foundation and the same notes meet tongue and palate. The attack is lively and the fullness is enormous. Buttery young and dense with deep minerality that will gain more space after 2030.
mv C. Cazal’s ‘Solera’ (2020-base)
85(89) p
100 ch
TASTING NOTE Even Delphine Cazals has fallen for the lovely trend with Solera. Start in 2004 all the way to 2020 completed malolactic fermentation in steel tank with 2 gram dosage. Refined fragrance with many small complex details. Grapefruit, hazelnuts and cinnamon meet more classic minerality and an incipient butteriness. Still young so drink after 2028.
mv C. Cazal’s ‘Cuvée Vive’ (2018-base)
84(87)p
100 ch
TASTING NOTE An almost pure 2018 champagne blanc de blancs Grand cru of a blend from Oger and Le Mesnil with 3 gram dosage to maintain purity and sharpness in this lively wine. A nice showy sweet fruit goes well with crisp acidity and minerality. We all felt mint, roses and orange in the wine’s pleasant aroma spectrum. Drink after 2028.
