Marguet - Champagne Grand Cru Shaman (Base 2019) NV (1.5L)

Johnn GIlman 92

"I somehow missed tasting the Shaman 19 from Benoît Marguet when it was first released, so nearly a year out from its arrival in New York, this is my first visit with the wine. The wine this year is composed from a cépages of eighty-seven percent pinot noir and thirteen percent chardonnay, with the vins clairs given nine months of élevage in cask prior to bottling up for secondary fermentation towards in mid-July of 2020. The wine aged just over two years sur latte prior to its disgorgement in October of 2022. The bouquet is bright and complex, wafting from the glass in a mix of peach, apple, warm bread, superb minerality, gentle smokiness, gentle spice tones, dried flowers and just a touch of buttery oak. On the palate the wine is pure, ripe and full-bodied, with excellent depth at the core, superb mineral undertow and grip, bright acids, elegant mousse and a very long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is drinking very nicely out of the blocks, but will be even better if given a year or two in the cellar to allow its girdle of acidity to relax a bit more. Fine juice. 2023-2035+."