Duval Leroy Femme de Champagne Grand Cru 1996

" A distinctive & stylish champagne "

創於1859年，仍由家族世代傳承經營的 Duval-Leroy 香檳酒廠，在香檳區酒廠幾乎已被外來的大集團收購壟斷的情況比較起來，算相當難能可貴。1991年，Carole Duval-Leroy女士在先生突然逝世後，決心接手經營夫家所擁有的事業，在她傑出的領導下，與一百多位員工，努力在生產釀製香檳的過程中求新求進步，擴展原有的傳統銷售市場到世界每個角落，豐富旗下的品牌產品，Duval-Leroy 香檳已成為眾所矚目的前十五大香檳品牌之一。

Duval Leroy 的旗艦酒款，僅在上好的年份才醸造，及在酒窖存放十二年後才推出市場；1990是第一個生產年份，而之後只在1995，1996，1999，2000年為第五個推出年份。

“Femme de Champagne” 意為「香檳的女性」，毫無疑問地它代表了 Carol Duval-Leroy 女士這位卓越的香檳女強人。

葡萄取自 Grand Cru 葡萄園 Avize、Chouilly、Oger、Cramant、Ay 和 Verzenay，而且是精選自最好的區塊(Chouilly 的 ”Montaigue”、 Avize的”Briquette”、 Oger的”Terre de Noel”以及Ay的”Cochement”)。 部分的酒在溫控的不鏽鋼槽中進行發酵，部分的酒是在木桶中發酵，裝瓶後的酒款在10~11°C的著名白堊酒窖中浸渣熟成5年的時間。

Femme 2000 採用大比例 95%Chardonnay 提供了細緻優雅，及加入小量 5% Pinot Noir 的成熟果香和豐腴來賦予這款香檳一種和諧的複雜感。色澤金黃，香氣展現白花的香氣。口感鮮明活潑、均衡和諧，兼具新鮮的果香味和成熟的餅乾般的豐富香味，餘味悠長。

99 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(disgorged September 2010; 79% chardonnay, 21% pinot noir). The youthful endurance of grand cru Côte des Blancs chardonnay in this cuvée has long captivated me, but never has it reached the heights that it has attained in 1996, and with a larger dose than usual of grand cru pinot noir, too. Even on the occasion of its 21st birthday, and no less than seven years after disgorgement, it retains a bright glint to its full straw hue. The sheer, bombastic energy and towering concentration of 1996 are on grand display, yet with a harmony, focus, even an elegance and sheer allure so many failed to capture in this lauded yet controversial season. Primary apple, pear and lemon zest are still here, layered with the toast and nougat of middle age and hints of pipe smoke and green olives that declare its decades in the cellar. Tense acid line and fine chalk minerality unite on a finish of profound focus and endurance, holding every promise of yet another decade of life. I lined it up alongside more than 40 to prestige cuvées from all the famous houses and this wine singly topped the tasting. A triumph. (2018-2019)" 

97 points Wine Spectator: "A sculpted Champagne, with a steely backbone of acidity swathed in a fine and silky texture, offering rich flavors of baked apple and plum fruit, almond financier, crème de cassis, honey and toasted coconut. Long and mouthwatering, and still very, very young. Drink now through 2090. 1,000 cases made. (12/15/14)" 

96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "[$350 list] Compared to the 2000, the 1996 Femme offers a touch more vibrancy and purity in a simillary rich, layered, complex style. Stone fruits, beautiful minerality, hints of charcoal, as well as a touch of brioche and nuttiness, all flow to a textured, balanced, beautifully long and layered Champagne that’s drinking brilliantly today. Drink: 2018-2025. (3/12/18)" 

95 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 1996 Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne is a stunning wine that is now reaching its apogee of peak drinkability and is wide open and absolutely superb on both the nose and palate. The deep, complex and toasty bouquet offers up a classy mélange of apple, tangerine, pain grillé, a beautifully complex base of soil and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and toasty, with a superb core of pure fruit, crisp acids, utterly refined mousse, laser-like focus and superb length and grip on the wide open, vibrant and very classy finish. This is just a stunning bottle of bubbly. 2012-2035. (Jul/Aug 2012)"