Champagne Extra Brut - Francis Orban

TASTING NOTES

Straw yellow tending to golden. Intense and pleasant nose, where the fruity scents (yellow peach) and minerality (iodine note) win out. In the mouth it is elegant, with a mineral and spicy texture which gives it good persistence.

PAIRINGS

It is perfect to accompany the whole meal, from starters to main courses, but we recommend it with an intense Risotto all'Isola della Scala.

This Francis Orban Extra Brut Champagne is an ideal companion for a refined aperitif or to accompany the whole meal, for that persistent and full-bodied texture typical of pure Pinot Meunier, which in the hands of Francis Orban, a young wine expert, loses the coarse and rustic features of the varietal, to take on finer notes. It is like a caress given by a boxer, who could potentially show his muscles, but confines himself to giving a light pat on the cheek. The dosage is 3 g/l of sugar.

"This is how Francis Orban's biography could begin. In 2007, after completing his studies as an oenologist, he decided to set up his own business, producing Champagne in his own very personal style. He is certainly not a neophyte or an improvised Francis, no sir, because he can boast of noble births in the world of Champagne viticulture. In fact, the family portrait sees his great-grandfather Léopold Orban as a pioneer of sparkling wine production in the village of Leuvrigny, followed by subsequent generations, up to the courageous Francis, who turned the tables and began producing Champagne in his own style.

The estate vineyards cover a total of 7.5 hectares of land under vine, all in the commune of Leuvrigny, on the right bank of the Marne. The village of Leuvrigny is strongly characterised by an ideal southern exposure, combined with an exceptional clay-limestone soil and a perfect microclimate, particularly suited to the cultivation of Pinot Meunier, the emblematic vine of Francis Orban's cultivation - to which a small crop of Chardonnay is added -. Pinot Noir is a vine that best expresses its fruity, rounded and fascinating components here.

Between the rows, the only objective is to bring healthy and fragrant grapes to the harvest, while in the cellar, vinification takes place mainly in 300-litre barrels and in barriques from Burgundy.

Annual production is around 60,000 bottles, 80% of which are sold in France and the remaining 20% abroad. The various labels produced include Brut Réserve, Brut Prestige and Rosé, while the "Millésime" and "Cuvée Orban" deserve a separate mention. These bubbles remain on the lees for 72 months and are only produced when the conditions of the vintage deserve to be remembered in two bottles of the highest quality.