Caillez Lemaire

Caillez Lemaire Vinotheque 2006

£90
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Specially selected by Peter Crawford and disgorged to order for Sip Champagnes... after spending 15 years on lees!

6Golden. Tiny bubbles. Gorgeously nutty nose with dark chocolate and honey.
Super creamy front end with lemon curd, toast and a really round mid palate. So inviting with a delicate zip of acidity coming through on the finish. Textured, bright, tingling salinity and a warmth.

The magic of the lees

Lees ageing is the process that occurs once the wine is put into bottle. Extra yeast and sugar is added to promote the secondary fermentation, (the bit that makes Champagne so unique), and once the yeast has eaten all the sugar, that’s when the magic starts. As the yeast cells start to die away they begin to interact with the wine to create an array of delicious and engaging flavours. First, after 2 or 3 years, you are greeted with bready, doughy notes alongside toast and brioche, (this is usually the end of the road for non-vintage ageing). Go a little further though and after 4 or 5 years, you can add weight and texture to the mouthfeel, as well as more complex secondary notes of crème brûlée and chicken stock. If you leave it even longer, when the wine hits 7+ years, you can reap the full rewards of autolysis, with the palate gaining layers and aromatic complexity as well as plenty more baked notes – the flavours that make good Champagne so special. 

It’s important to note, however, that only the best wines will benefit from this length of ageing and, of course, every month on the lees is a month without money in the bank for the producer, which is why this wine is so unusual and so very special.
House Profile

We totally fell in love with this producer when we first visited nearly 10 years ago. Based in Damery, with vines in 57 plots in 7 villages, predominantly Meunier, their wines show a crisp style and age like legends. They acquired the HEV certificate recently and there is a real honesty to their winemaking and wines.

Assemblage

60% Chardonnay | 30% Pinot Noir | 10% Meunier

Dosage

5g/ltr

Vintage

2006 (not declared)

Vinification

100% oak, aged on cork

Bottled

June 2007

Disgorged

July 2022 - 181 months on lees

Region

Vallée de la Marne

Total Production

60 bottles 

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