Frederic Savart
L'Ouverture Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Brut
Champagne
NV

The producer

Frédéric Savart is one of the leading growers of the Montagne de Reims, farming around four hectares of Premier Cru vineyards in Écueil and neighbouring Villers-aux-Nœuds. The estate was established by his grandfather René in 1947, but it is under Frédéric—who joined the domaine in 1994 and later assumed full control, that Savart has emerged as one of Champagne’s most sought-after small producers. The vineyards are planted predominantly to Pinot Noir, with a smaller proportion of Chardonnay, rooted in the sandy soils and chalky subsoils characteristic of Écueil.

Savart’s philosophy begins with meticulous, environmentally sensitive work in the vineyard, with the objective of harvesting ripe, healthy fruit that expresses each individual site. In the cellar, fermentation and élevage take place in a combination of stainless steel and oak, while parcel-by-parcel vinification and restrained dosage preserve freshness and definition. The resulting Champagnes combine the generosity and depth of Pinot Noir with remarkable precision, energy and finesse. Produced in tiny quantities and highly allocated, the range extends from expressive non-vintage cuvées to rare single-vineyard wines that rank among the most distinctive grower Champagnes being made today.

The wine

Frédéric Savart’s ‘L’Ouverture’ is a Blanc de Noirs made entirely from Pinot Noir grown in Premier Cru vineyards around Écueil and Villers-aux-Nœuds on the Petite Montagne de Reims. Its name, meaning “the opening”, reflects its position as the introduction to Savart’s range, offering a pure expression of Pinot Noir from the area’s sandy, clay-limestone soils. Rather than the power often associated with the variety, the wine emphasises perfume, energy and finesse.

The cuvée brings together wines from several successive vintages, providing both youthful freshness and greater depth from its reserve components. Vinification takes place in a combination of stainless steel and oak, with partial malolactic fermentation, followed by extended ageing on the lees in bottle. Made without fining or filtration and finished with a restrained dosage, ‘L’Ouverture’ combines bright red and orchard fruit with delicate pastry notes, a fine creamy mousse and the precise, mineral finish that defines Savart’s style.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.