A stunning quintet of new champagnes from Pascal Agrapart. [ read the full champagne story ]
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Pascal Agrapart
★★★★
Through a succession, the famous Agrapart & Fils was recently divided into two equal parts. Pascal was allowed to keep the vineyards and the name of Avizeoise and Venus. However, Fabrice was allowed to keep the company name Agrapart. Pascal now has 4.5 hectares at his disposal, mainly in his home village of Avize. When Fabrice in his new company makes wines in a more bombastic style with a stronger oak influence with batonage etc., Pascal does not go away and glance at Burgundy or the neighboring Selosse. No, it is difficult to see any change in direction at all. So you can sleep well and continue to buy Mineral, Avizeoise and Venus and feel confident that they have the same intense elegance and purity as always.
2019 Pascal Agrapart ‘Avizoise‘
91 (Jul-25) 93p
100% Chardonnay
Extremely rich and powerful from the start. Dripping with honey and more oak character than is typical in all of Pascal’s 2019 wines. Is this a slow shift towards a more Burgundy-style and Selosse-influenced richness, or is it just the vintage giving it this character? Quality-wise, it’s in the same high range as usual, perhaps with an earlier peak and greater initial pleasure. Unfortunately, I tasted the Avizoise in warm Lecce and the Venus on a cool summer evening in Sweden, so the difference in character might be smaller than I noted. The Venus has a bit more nutty depth, and the Avizoise has a bit more honey and pineapple. A one-point difference is negligible and within the margin of error.
2019 Pascal Agrapart ‘Vénus’
92 (Aug-25) 94p
100% Chardonnay
Extremely rich and powerful from the start. Dripping with honey and more oak character than is typical in all of Pascal’s 2019 wines. Is this a slow shift towards a more Burgundy-style and Selosse-influenced richness, or is it just the vintage giving it this character? Quality-wise, it’s in the same high range as usual, perhaps with an earlier peak and greater initial pleasure. Unfortunately, I tasted the Avizoise in warm Lecce and the Venus on a cool summer evening in Sweden, so the difference in character might be smaller than I noted. The Venus has a bit more nutty depth, and the Avizoise has a bit more honey and pineapple. If I have to choose, it would probably be the Venus, as usual.
2019 Pascal Agrapart ‘Mineral‘
88 (Aug-25) 89p
100% Chardonnay
As usual, this comes from two mineral-driven, chalky vineyards in Avize named Bionnes and Champ Bouton, with 3 grams of dosage. All of Pascal’s 2019 wines are extremely exotic and rich. There’s less minerality even here, with a greater emphasis on oaky, honeyed maturity and a distinctly exotic fruit profile of mango and pineapple.
Pascal Agrapart ‘Terroirs’ (2019-base)
86 (Aug-25) 88p
100% Chardonnay
A multi-vintage blend from Avize, Oiry, Oger, and Cramant with a dash of dosage. It compared very well to the Mineral in this edition. It’s a little more balanced and sophisticated, though not quite with the richness of the vintage. This is perhaps because of, or thanks to, the supporting vintages in the background.
Pascal Agrapart ‘Complantée’ (2019-base)
85 (Aug-25) 87p
20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Arbane, 10% Petit Meslier, 10% Pinot Blanc
Harvested and pressed together, with all the grape varieties in Avize! Very exciting and very similar to its more famous sister wines from 2019 in Avize. However, this one has a red perfume of roses and wild strawberry cream, which we normally associate with Pinot Noir from Bouzy. The taste, on the other hand, is classic and feels like the Chardonnay dominates more emphatically than the fact profile indicates.
