Franck Pascal Quinte Essence, Champagne, France, 2005, 750ml

The 2005 Extra Brut Quinte Essence is an elegant and stunningly finessed assemblage of two-thirds Pinot Meunier and one-third Chardonnay. The wine displays an intensely golden-yellow color followed by a deep, intense, beautifully matured, aromatic and complex bouquet of ripe, yellow-fleshed fruits, caramel, bread, brioche and toffee. Full-bodied, round and nutty on the palate, this is a pretty intense but pure, fresh and refined vintage Champagne with remarkable complexity and structure and hazelnut flavors on the finish. – Robert Parker