Champagne Duval Leroy Femme Brut Grand Cru 2002 750ml

Product Info

The 2002 Duval-Leroy "Femme de Champagne" Grand Cru is a highly prestigious, mature vintage Champagne created as a collaboration between house president Carol Duval-Leroy and chef de cave Sandrine Logette-Jardin. Blending a major percentage of Grand Cru Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Noir, this legendary 2002 release is prized for its exquisite balance of vibrant, vintage-driven acidity and the deeply complex, silky, and enrobing autolytic character built from massive lees aging.

• Aroma: The nose opens with a complex, elegant bouquet of ripe orchard fruits, almonds, pastry, and lemon oil intertwined with a vanilla pod. As it breathes, it reveals mature layers of acacia honey, warm brioche, hazelnut, and delicate white floral notes (jasmine and honeysuckle), alongside faint, tertiary hints of white truffle. 
• Palate: Medium to full-bodied, seamless, and exceptionally silky. The palate delivers baked apple, lemon curd, quince, and candied mandarin orange peel. Its remarkable longevity shows in a taut, concentrated core of fruit that feels simultaneously vinous, round, and lifted by pristine acidity. 
• Finish: Exceptionally long and focused. It tapers off into a chalky, saline mineral finish highlighted by a sophisticated, dry snap of toasted brioche and walnut skins.

• Aging: This vintage spent an astonishing, extended period on its fine lees in the cellars—frequently up to 15 to 18 years before disgorgement—giving it a fine, incredibly integrated, small-beaded mousse.
• Alcohol: 12% ABV. 

• Serving Tips: Serve slightly tucked down but not ice-cold (around 8–10°C / 46–50°F). For the Brut Nature version or older disgorgements, decanting shortly before service is highly recommended by the house to gently awaken the deep aromatics.
• Food Pairings: The combination of mature pastry tones and bright structural precision makes it spectacular with elevated cuisine:
  • Rich seafood like butter-poached lobster, king crab legs, or sea scallop crudo.
  • High-fat starters such as osetra caviar or a delicate poultry terrine.
  • Main courses featuring pan-seared veal chops with a light chanterelle mushroom cream sauce.