Veuve Fourny Grand Cuvée ‘R’ Millesime 20Yr Brut

The honed restraint of Fourny's pristine fruit, meeting the ravishing complexity of old oak, makes for quite a display in the presence of swirling, tossing minerality. Fermentation in old oak barrels amplifies umami, even a hint of seaweed, and bath-salts minerality drawn from thin soils by grand old vines in the north of Vertus near, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Carefully crafted old oak cranks things up a notch from Fourny's other non-vintage cuvees, with creamy texture and deep, ripe fruit presence of figs, baked apples, just-picked nectarines and blood oranges, underlined by the ginger, honey, coffee, mocha, high-cocoa dark chocolate and roast hazelnuts of barrel work. For all its presence and flesh, it finishes with great tension of vibrant acidity and lemon zest crunch inherent in the bright 2013 and 2012 harvests. This makes for an impressive R of dynamic presence and great energy, sustained confidently by the salty chalk minerality of northern Vertus. The 2012 base marks the first R of 100% chardonnay. a particularly toasty, buttery and generous blend that transcends its 50% inclusion of 2011.