Grand Vintage is the flagship cuvée of the Varnier-Fannière estate. Produced only in outstanding vintages such as 1996, 1999, 2005 and 2009, it is made exclusively from the estate’s oldest Chardonnay vines Planted on the outskirts of the village of Avize, south of Épernay, the vines benefit from gentle east-facing slopes. The soils, composed of limestone, clay and chalk, give the wine its striking minerality.
Varnier-Fannière practises sustainable viticulture with respect for the land. Following manual harvests, the grapes are pressed in a traditional press handed down by the current winemaker’s grandfather. The pressing process is gentle and lasts for five hours. The wine is then fermented with native yeasts on a plot-by-plot basis over several months. Secondary fermentation in bottle takes place in the estate’s underground cellars over many years. The result is a broad, fleshy and beautifully mature Champagne.