Very chalky, oyster shell aromas and chardonnay?s signature, fine citrus fruit leading the way on the nose in restrained style. The palate has the same, intense, chalky, oyster-shell flavors. Very minerally with fresh, bready pastry and a long, dry finish. Could use some time on cork. Try in 2020

Disgorged in July 2017, this release of Geoffroy's 2009 Brut Premier Cru Volupté is still a very youthful wine, unfurling in the glass with scents of fresh and dried white flowers, lemon oil, white currants and wet stones. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, vinous but incisive, with a lively spine of acidity, a tight-knit core, a delicate mousse and a penetrating, chalky finish. This is a beautifully pure, precise Champagne, which, in that respect, belies its name and its vintage.

The 2009 Brut Premier Cru Volupté is composed of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir (the wine is blended differently every year), with all the grapes sourced from the chalky soils of Cumières. The 2009 opens with bright and fresh fruit on the excitingly clear, elegant and seductive nose. The palate is rich and intense but also reveals fascinating purity, elegance and finesse as well as an expressive, mouth-wateringly salty and tensioned finish. Seventy percent of the Volupté was aged in oak, the rest in enamel. The 2009 is the last Volupté that will include Pinot Noir; from the 2010 vintage onward, it will be a Blanc de Blancs (like it was before the 2004). This is an ideal aperitif but goes very well with fine fish and even cheese, especially when evolved. Tasted April 2018.