Les Sentiers Premier Cru 2016 Champagne | by Domaine des Arondes | fatcork
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Les Sentiers Premier Cru 2016

Domaine des Arondes

$75

Domaine des Arondes’ flagship cuvée, Les Sentiers is a pinot-noir dominant blend of all three major grape varieties, and it accounts for about 70 percent of the estate’s total production. It features 50 percent reserve wine (made with only juice from the first pressing) started by her father for Champagne Laurent-Gabriel in 1996. Marie-Marjorie named this cuvée “les sentiers” (French for “the paths”) in honor of elements of nature that have paved its way. The year 2016 saw a bad frost and offered lower yields but of particularly high-quality fruit.

See: Sunny, daffodil yellow with fine bubbles and a creamy mousse

Smell: Sun-baked steel, expressed citrus rind and damp hay

Taste: Fresh and elegant with notes of flint, lemon zest, red fruit and minerality. Complex tension and rich in the midpalate from 84 months aging in the cellar, followed by a long, smooth finish.

Pair: Pair it with creamy risotto, fried sage and a shower of parmesan. Or you could also serve it solo on the back porch before a pink-sky sunset. 

Celebrate: You’re new to the ‘hood and tonight the neighbors you keep running into on your evening walks invite you to play pickleball this weekend. It’s a date! Cheers to the promise of your new place and a bit of  friendly competition with the locals.

Village: Avenay Val D’Or

Region: Vallée de la Marne

Vintage: 50% 2016, 50% reserve

Varieties: 75% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay, 5% pinot meunier

Disgorgement: 12/23

Dosage: 7 g/l

In 1982, Daniel Laurent began making Champagne with grapes he grew on two hectares of vineyards in the Premier Cru village of Avenay-Val-d'Or. His young daughter, Marie-Marjorie Laurent, grew up on the estate, helping wherever help was needed, learning the craft and developing a deep bond with both the family land and its legacy. 

After leaving for a time, Marie-Marjorie returned in 2023 to take over her father’s estate and begin a new endeavor of her own: Domaine des Arondes. Named for the migrating swallows (“les arondes” in Old French) that return to Champagne every spring, the micro winery is the vigneron’s homage to her family home, while at the same time, a symbol of renewal, curiosity and exploration. 

In the vineyards, Marie-Marjorie gently works her plots (now three hectares) by horse and plough with Clydesdales borrowed from a local company. Sheep, also on loan, graze on weeds and overgrowth between her vines. Back at the winery, Marie-Marjorie demonstrates a deep understanding of terroir, grape-variety selection and winemaking as each of the cuvées in her release (only 10,000 bottles a year) strikes the perfect balance of exceptional complexity and elegance. 

We Care Deeply About Your Grower Champagne.

Select “pick up” during check out, and we’ll safely store your bubbles in our temperature-controlled cave until you can collect them. Once we notify you that your order is ready, pop by at your convenience to pick it up and enjoy a splash. Or, if you prefer, give us a call, and we’ll bring it to you curbside.

Our new compostable, insulated packaging keeps your Champagne safe from breakage and at a constant temperature from our cave to you. Even so, we monitor the weather where you are, and if we feel that extreme heat or cold may affect the quality of your bubbles, we’ll be in touch to offer you options.

Out of town? On the run? Use the "Special Requests" field in your shopping cart or email us at info@fatcork.comto let us know. We’ll work with you to get the timing just right.

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Frequently
Asked Questions

  • Do you do tastings?

    Mais Oui!

    Join us every Saturday from 12pm to 5pm where we will have three cuvées chilled and ready for you.

    There is a tasting fee of 40$ for non-members (waived with the purchase of a bottle), and members taste for free! 

    *Reservations for groups of 5 or more appreciated. 

    Check out our Events & Tasting page under "Discover" on our homepage for seasonal ticketed events and happenings.

    For information on private group tastings and events send us an email at events@fatcork.com

  • Can you provide recommendations?

    We thought you’d never ask! Whether you’re choosing Champagne for yourself or a gift for someone else, fatcork celebration specialists have you covered! Need help pairing a bottle from your club allocation for your dinner party? We can help there too! In our online bottle shop, you’ll discover an assortment of beautifully curated bundles and gift sets. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, call or email us, and we’d be happy to help you navigate our inventory of delicious bubbles.

  • Do I have to be a club member to shop bottles?

    No way José. All are welcome to purchase any of our delicious bubbles online or in person at the fatcork cave.

  • What do I do if my Champagne is corked?

    Damp, wet cardboard? That’s not on the tasting note! Cork taint is the worst, but all fatcork Champagnes use natural cork closures, so it does happen on the rare occasion. Please let us know, and will happily replace the bottle. Before you throw it away, snap a photo of the back label and we can refer to the code for reference. Email it to info@fatcork.com along with the order number.

  • Can I return or exchange my bottles?

    We aim to please. Call or email us, so we can talk about what happened and how we can make things right.

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