'A Mi-Chemin' Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

Score

93

"One of the Côte des Blancs' rising stars, Paul Girard keeps a focus on cool, intense, linear Chardonnay; a classicist to some degree, with some enviable plots in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, here combining with the bright 2021 base year to yield a wine that fits pale apricot and juicy white pear notes into a chalky, fine-boned frame, driven by citric acidity. There's barely an inch of fat on this racy extra brut, although it's a long way from austere."

Score

92

"A bright yellow/green-tinged color, the NV Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs A Mi-Chemin Extra Brut is a blend of the 2021 vintage with reserve wine also coming from Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, and it was aged in stainless steel and barrels. It is fruity and lifted in the glass, with pure notes of bright green apples, lime, spice, delicate flinty smoke, and salty earth. This medium-bodied offering has a pinpoint mousse with a refreshing white pepper spice, good energy, a clean lift, and a tapering finish. Drink it over the coming 8-10 years. 2 grams per liter dosage, disgorged February 2024."

Score

92

"The NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs A Mi-Chemin is a blend of primarily 2020 and 2019 juice with a bit of 2018 - half from Oger and half from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. It shows good energy and plenty of cut. I find the wood a bit prominent in this edition, but that is a relatively minor critique. The low dosage of just 2.2 grams per liter brings out the more stark side of Chardonnay. There is a feeling of delicacy and transparency here that I find quite intriguing. Disgorged: March, 2023."

Score

92

""An appealing"

Score

91

"From one of Mesnil's most promising young winegrowers, Girard-Bonnet's NV Blanc de Blancs A Mi-Chemin is a blend of nine lieux-dits scattered around Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. Based on the 2021 vintage and complemented by 30% reserve wines from 2018 to 2020, it was matured on the lees in 350- and 500-liter barrels and steel, in nearly equal parts, and disgorged in February 2024 with two grams per liter dosage. Slightly high-toned, it unfurls from the glass with scents of apple peel, oyster shell and citrus fruit. It's a wine with a taut profile, but not without flesh on its bones. It's medium-bodied and pillowy, with a profile that combines a touch of sweetness with a saline, savory character. Informed by the cooler season, it's lighter in structure than the 2022-based rendition tasted alongside."

Score

16.5

"Lemon and caramel. A broad plane of yellow-white fruit, crisp, disciplined, transparent. Touch of toasted hemp heart and flax, but it's the piercing citric acidity that shapes this wine into an arrow on the end. (TC)"