Champagne Claude Cazals 'La Chapelle du Clos', Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut, Oger Grand Cru, Champagne, France 2016

Champagne Cazals in Mesnil-sur-Oger dates back from the late XIX Century. Over decades, the family has quietly acquired a remarkable collection of jaw dropping vineyards: from a once named “Clos Chétillons”, le ‘Puy de Gaumes’ neighboring Vertus or the southern tip of ‘Les Carelles’ made famous by Selosse. But the crown jewel of Delphine Cazals holdings is unquestionably the walled-in vineyard inside her family home in the famous village of Oger, home to some of the most gifted Chardonnay vineyards in all of Champagne. Clos Cazals is undeniably one of Champagne’s emerging behemoths given its geographical location.

• Winemaker: Delphine Cazals
• Farming: Sustainable, biodynamic practices
• Varieties: 100% Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs)
• Terroir:  La Chapelle du Clos is a special plot within the Clos Cazals vineyard, planted over 25 years ago by Delphine and her father. Clos Cazals is 100% Chardonnay from the 60-year-old vines planted by Olivier and Claude inside of the clos on chalk topsoil and chalk and marl bedrock.
• Vinification: The grapes are hand harvested and sorted before pressing, followed by a natural fermentation in stainless steel and 10% in old French oak barrels. 
• Aging: After six years on the lees, the wine is bottled with a 5g/L dosage.
• Tasting Notes: A fine, delicate mousse carries aromas of white flowers, orange blossom, citrus zest, and crisp white peach. The palate is vibrant yet poised, with flavors of pear, green apple, Meyer lemon, and a touch of almond cream over a refreshing chalky minerality. The finish is silky, persistent, and precise, with a subtle saline lift.

From our 2025 Bottle Cult Notes:

Single vineyard Champagnes from Grand Cru villages—and even Premier Cru villages— are rare. Vintage Champagnes are rarer still. But a single-vintage, single-vineyard Champagne with nearly a decade of age? That’s something truly special.

The Clos Cazals vineyard, in the Grand Cru village of Oger, is one of only 21 clos (walled vineyards) in Champagne, and the largest. Delphine’s grandfather, Olivier, purchased the 3.7 hectare vineyard from United Nations founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Léon Bourgeois, and in 1957 planted it entirely to Chardonnay. The low-slung walls of the Clos reverberate the sun’s warmth throughout the vineyard and allow the grapes to reach exceptional ripening: one full extra degree of potential alcohol compared to other plots. 
What makes this bottle particularly special is that La Chapelle du Clos is a special plot within the Clos Cazals vineyard. So—a plot within a plot, within a Grand Cru village, AND it’s from a single vintage. This is Serious. Planted over 25 years ago near a small chapel by Delphine Cazals and her father Claude, this plot now produces some of the domaine’s most refined and expressive fruit. The soils here are pure chalk—high in pH—which, counterintuitively, translates to wines with even higher acidity and brightness, amplifying the energy and minerality in the glass.

Made from 100% Chardonnay, the grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed to preserve delicacy. Most of the wine ferments in stainless steel to highlight its precision, while 10% rests in French oak for added roundness. Uniquely, it undergoes full malolactic fermentation, softening the sharper malic acid (think green apple) into the creamier lactic acid (think yogurt), adding a lush, textural depth. Aged for at least six years on its lees in the deep cellars of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, it’s finished as an Extra Brut (just 6 g/L of residual sugar) to frame its structure and enhance the fruit.

In the glass, a fine, delicate mousse carries aromas of white flowers, orange blossom, citrus zest, and crisp white peach. The palate is vibrant yet poised, with flavors of pear, green apple, Meyer lemon, and a touch of almond cream over a refreshing chalky minerality. The finish is silky, persistent, and precise, with a subtle saline lift. From one of Champagne’s most prized terroirs for Chardonnay, this is superb now but will also reward cellaring, evolving more nutty and savory complexity over time. Enjoy it on its own, with seafood crudo drizzled in citrus and olive oil, or alongside grilled fennel with herbed cream sauce. —Riley Shea, DECANTsf