{"product_id":"geoffroy-champagne-empreinte-millesime-blanc-de-noirs-1er-cru-extra-brut-2018-750ml-introductory-pricing","title":"Geoffroy Champagne 'Empreinte Millesime' Blanc de Noirs 1er Cru Extra Brut 2018 750ml (Introductory Pricing)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e93 Points — Jeb Dunnuck\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e92 Points — James Suckling\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e91 Points — Wine Advocate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGeoffroy “Empreinte Millésime” 2018 is a vintage Blanc de Noirs Champagne produced entirely from Pinot Noir grown in three historic Premier Cru parcels in Cumières. Powerful yet refined, it captures the ripe red-fruit character of this celebrated Vallée de la Marne village while preserving freshness, mineral tension and a finely detailed mousse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is sourced from mature, south-facing vines planted on the midslope above the Marne River. Fermentation and maturation in large oak vessels build texture and complexity without obscuring the purity of the Pinot Noir. After extended aging on the lees and a very low dosage, the finished Champagne offers ripe orchard fruit, citrus, red berries, fresh bread, toasted nuts and a distinctive saline finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Place\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCumières is a historic Premier Cru village in Champagne’s Vallée de la Marne, located immediately west of Hautvillers and northwest of Épernay. Its vineyards rise steeply from the right bank of the Marne River, benefiting from predominantly south- and southeast-facing exposures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe village’s warm, sunny slopes allow Pinot Noir to achieve excellent ripeness. Cumières Champagne is consequently known for its expressive fruit, generous texture and distinctly vinous character. The underlying chalk and limestone preserve freshness and mineral tension, preventing the wines from becoming overly broad or heavy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough Champagne Geoffroy’s winemaking facilities are now located in Aÿ, the family’s identity remains inseparable from Cumières, where it has cultivated vines since the 17th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Empreinte Vineyards\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmpreinte is drawn from three historic Cumières Premier Cru parcels:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLes Chalmonts\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLes Barremonts\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLes Pêchers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyards lie on the midslope at approximately 160 meters above sea level, with a gradient of around 19%. Their southerly exposure promotes full Pinot Noir ripeness, while the slope provides natural drainage and excellent sunlight throughout the growing season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soils are composed principally of clay and limestone with fragments of millstone and flint. Clay contributes body, ripe fruit and textural generosity. Limestone and chalk provide freshness, structure and salinity, while flinty elements can contribute the delicate smoky or reductive mineral character frequently found in the wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe source vines average approximately 40 years of age. The parcels are selected annually, harvested together and pressed as a single expression of mature-vine Pinot Noir from Cumières.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Meaning of Empreinte\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Empreinte” translates as “imprint” or “mark.” The name reflects the domaine’s intention to capture the distinctive imprint of Cumières terroir through Pinot Noir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cuvée represents one of the estate’s historic and defining wines. Rather than blending across villages or grape varieties, Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy uses Empreinte to highlight the depth, ripeness and mineral structure Pinot Noir can achieve on the warm slopes of Cumières.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Grape: \u003cstrong\u003e100% Pinot Noir.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough Pinot Noir is a dark-skinned grape, the juice is naturally clear. Gentle pressing with minimal skin contact produces a white Champagne known as Blanc de Noirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePinot Noir provides Empreinte with structure, body and aging potential, together with characteristic flavors of red apple, cherry, raspberry and subtle red currant. Mature vines and extended lees aging add further layers of citrus, toasted bread, nuts, spice and savory mineral complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe 2018 Vintage\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmpreinte 2018 is a true vintage Champagne, produced solely from grapes harvested during the 2018 growing season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe warm, generous vintage allowed Pinot Noir in favorably exposed Cumières vineyards to achieve excellent maturity. The resulting Champagne possesses ripe fruit and a broad, enveloping texture, but sufficient acidity and mineral structure maintain balance and freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vintage produced a comparatively approachable expression of Empreinte, combining concentrated Pinot Noir character with a creamy mousse, fresh citrus and a delicate saline edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eViticulture\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChampagne Geoffroy practices sustainable and increasingly organic viticulture. Chemical weedkillers are avoided, vineyard soils are cultivated and cover crops are encouraged to improve biodiversity and soil health.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe grapes are harvested by hand at optimum maturity and carefully sorted. Achieving full physiological ripeness is central to the Geoffroy style, particularly for a low-dosage wine such as Empreinte, where there is very little added sweetness to soften or disguise the character of the base wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003ePressing and Vinification\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Pinot Noir is pressed in a traditional Coquard press. Only the finest first-pressing juice, known as the tête de cuvée, is selected.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe individual vineyard parcels are handled by gravity and fermented with indigenous yeasts. The 2018 was vinified principally in large 20-hectoliter Stockinger oak casks, together with other neutral barrels and demi-muids.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLarge-format, seasoned oak allows the wine to develop greater breadth, texture and oxygen-derived complexity without contributing excessive new-oak flavor. It also complements the naturally rich and vinous character of mature-vine Cumières Pinot Noir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is neither heavily fined nor filtered, preserving its natural texture and aromatic complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eLees Aging and Dosage\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe importer lists approximately 66 months of aging on the lees. Jeb Dunnuck describes the wine as spending a minimum of five years sur latte before disgorgement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis extended lees maturation develops the Champagne’s fine mousse and contributes notes of brioche, fresh bread, pastry, almond and toasted nuts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bottles reviewed by James Suckling and Wine Advocate were disgorged in December 2024 with a dosage of only 1 gram per liter. This extremely low dosage gives the wine a dry, focused profile and allows its Pinot Noir fruit, chalky minerality and delicate phenolic structure to remain clearly defined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSkurnik’s broader technical profile lists 3 grams per liter for the cuvée, indicating that dosage may vary between disgorgement lots. Both figures fall within the Extra Brut category.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2018 Empreinte displays a luminous copper-straw color with a persistent stream of small, finely formed bubbles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bouquet opens with sliced apple, pear, white grapefruit and orange zest, followed by raspberry, red currant and other subtle red-fruit notes. With air, aromas of honey, fresh bread, brioche, toasted almond and Madagascar vanilla become more pronounced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA delicate flinty reduction frames the fruit and contributes additional mineral complexity. The oak is present primarily as texture and gentle toast rather than overt wood flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the palate, the Champagne is medium- to full-bodied, firm and generous. A creamy mousse surrounds ripe apple, citrus and red-berry flavors, while vibrant acidity maintains energy and definition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mid-palate is broad, textural and enveloping, yet the wine remains controlled and precise. Pinot Noir contributes a subtle phenolic grip, leading to a delicately bitter, gastronomic finish marked by grapefruit pith, almond, chalk and salty spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a substantial but elegant Blanc de Noirs: expressive enough to enjoy now, yet sufficiently structured to develop greater nutty, savory and brioche complexity with additional bottle age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eProfessional Ratings\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e93 Points — Jeb Dunnuck: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"The 2018 Champagne Premier Cru Cumières Blanc de Noirs Empreinte Extra Brut is a more elegant and approachable wine in this vintage, pouring a bright copper\/straw color and offering notes of fresh almond, fresh bread, white grapefruit, red fruit, and delicate flinty reduction that frames the nose. Made from 100% Pinot Noir from the best plots of Cumières and raised in oak with a minimum five years sur latte, it™s medium-bodied and has a creamy texture and a fine mousse with just a subtle salty spice. It is not the most obvious wine in the tasting, but it will offer a lot of refreshing enjoyment over the next 8-10 years. Drink 2025-2035.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e92 Points — James Suckling: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Sliced apples, berries, honey and toasted bread on the nose of this dry, expressive Champagne. Lovely pinot noir character, firm but generous. Tight bubbles. Pinot noir from Cumieres. Disgorged December 2024. 1 g\/L dosage. Drink now or hold.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e91 Points — Wine Advocate: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Geoffroy™s 2018 Blanc de Noirs Cumieres Empreinte originates from several south-facing parcels in Cumieres, averaging 40 years of age. These parcels are annually selected, harvested and pressed together, then vinified primarily in 20-hectoliter Stockinger casks. Disgorged in December 2024 with a dosage of one gram per liter, the wine bursts from the glass with expressive aromas of pear, orange zest, brioche and Madagascar vanilla. Full-bodied, textural and enveloping on the palate, it displays notable mid-palate sweetness despite its low-dosage style. Ripe yet vibrant acidity complements the wine, while Pinot Noir phenolics assert themselves on the delicately bitter finish. Made with full malolactic fermentation, this cuvee stands apart from the rest of the range, offering a richer, fruit-forward profile that's full of charm.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eThe Producer\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Geoffroy family has cultivated vineyards in Cumières since the 17th century. Estate bottling began during the 1950s, and René Geoffroy later expanded the domaine and established its reputation as an independent grower-producer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy manages the estate with his wife, Karine. Although the family moved its winemaking operations to a historic property in Aÿ in 2008, most of its vineyards remain in Cumières.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe domaine farms approximately 14 hectares, including roughly 11 hectares in Cumières, with additional parcels in neighboring Vallée de la Marne villages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Geoffroy style is built around ripe fruit, individual parcel selection, traditional pressing, oak fermentation and extended cellar aging. The wines combine the generosity of the Vallée de la Marne with energetic acidity, restrained dosage and a distinctive vinous character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmpreinte is a gastronomic Champagne particularly well suited to poultry, mushrooms and mature cheeses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecommended pairings include Bresse chicken with morels, roast chicken, quail with grapes, duck breast, veal, pork tenderloin and a fricassee of wild mushrooms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also pairs beautifully with seared tuna, grilled salmon, lobster, scallops, truffle risotto and savory pastry dishes. Mature Comté, Gruyère, Parmesan and other aged cheeses complement its toasted-almond and brioche character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eServing and Cellaring\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eServe at approximately 50–54°F in a tulip-shaped Champagne glass or a generous white-wine glass. The producer recommends serving Empreinte at approximately 11–12°C.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA wider glass allows its Pinot Noir fruit, oak-derived texture and mature lees aromas to develop more fully than a narrow flute.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Champagne is ready to drink now but should continue to evolve through approximately 2035. Additional bottle age will encourage more developed notes of toasted nuts, dried fruit, honey, brioche and savory spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProducer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Champagne Geoffroy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCuvée:\u003c\/strong\u003e Empreinte Millésime\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry:\u003c\/strong\u003e France\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e Champagne\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubregion:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vallée de la Marne\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVillage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cumières Premier Cru\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClassification:\u003c\/strong\u003e Premier Cru\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStyle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vintage Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut Champagne\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrape:\u003c\/strong\u003e 100% Pinot Noir\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVineyard Sources:\u003c\/strong\u003e Les Chalmonts, Les Barremonts and Les Pêchers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExposure:\u003c\/strong\u003e Predominantly south-facing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAltitude:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 160 meters\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSlope:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 19% gradient\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVine Age:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 40 years and older\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoils:\u003c\/strong\u003e Clay-limestone with fragments of millstone and flint\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFarming:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sustainable and practicing organic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hand harvested and sorted\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePress:\u003c\/strong\u003e Traditional Coquard press; tête de cuvée juice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFermentation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Indigenous yeasts in large oak casks, barrels and demi-muids\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLees Aging:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 66 months\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisgorgement:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 2024 for the bottles reviewed\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDosage:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 g\/L for the December 2024 reviewed disgorgement; importer profile also lists 3 g\/L for the cuvée\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlcohol:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12.5%\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecommended Drinking:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2025–2035\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 750ml\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGeoffroy “Empreinte Millésime” Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Extra Brut 2018\u003c\/h3\u003e","brand":"67","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52722202673435,"sku":"210000060779","price":68.22,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0694\/1789\/4171\/files\/lj37v9bwqnoaarizbchb.jpg?v=1785784737","url":"https:\/\/67wino.shop\/products\/geoffroy-champagne-empreinte-millesime-blanc-de-noirs-1er-cru-extra-brut-2018-750ml-introductory-pricing","provider":"67","version":"1.0","type":"link"}