Michel Arnould's Tête de Cuvée Vintage Stunner Now in Stock

2011 Michel Arnould "Cuvée B 50" Brut Champagne ($99.99)

K&L Notes: If you have enjoyed the wines of Lallement, Bollinger and Krug in the past, we think you will very much enjoy Michel Arnould. They are bold Champagnes with plenty of toasty flavor. This is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, entirely from estate vineyards in the Grand Cru of Verzenay. Verzenay is the northernmost of all the Grand Crus in this northernmost of French wine regions. The whole village faces north—the wrong way, away from the sun—and yet miraculously ripens Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Some say it's because of a meteor that, in prehistoric times, hit the area that is now the village, creating Les Faux de Verzy, a forest where the trees bend and fold in on themselves like a dark wood in The Lord of the Rings.

Gary Westby | K&L Champagne Buyer | Review Date: June 25, 2024

This all-barrel-fermented, all-Verzenay grand cru vintage Champagne is drinking spectacularly right now. If you like a style with some meat on its bones, but still electric and fresh on the back end, this grower bottling will impress you. I love the big sourdough toast on the expressive nose, the full-bodied hazelnut bread in the mouth, but most of all the old-school freshness of the back end from the colder 2011 harvest. The incredible chalk of Verzenay grand cru rides a real wave of clean acidity on the super-long finish. One of the best buys in the store at $100!

Alexandre Tweedie | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: June 02, 2024

All grand cru fruit, all barrel-fermented, all decadence! Fifty-fifty Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from a cold and wet year, and the Chardonnay approached perfect phenolic ripeness! Slow-baked cinnamon apples (like 125 degrees for 36 hours kind of slow bake), bold toasty richness, and a highly surprising finish of fresh garden & grove fruit. This is a serious bottle of grower Champagne, one that even the Grand Marques would be proud of!