The 2023 vintage came from a year that did most of the winemaking work early. A dry winter and spring created real hydric stress in the vines, followed by rains in May and June, then moderate temperatures with cool nights right through to harvest. That swing between warm days and cold nights is exactly what concentrates aromatics and holds acidity in Chardonnay, and it shows in the glass. What separates this from the 2022 is character, not just year. The 2022 goes rich — marmalade, brioche, mocha. The 2023 is leaner and more precise: grapefruit zest up front, stewed orchard fruits in the middle, a long finish that circles back to toasted brioche and something faintly cigar-smoky. Eight months in 225-litre French oak barrels, with controlled oxidation throughout, builds the structure without smothering the freshness. No dosage means nothing is added to round off the edges. The dealcoholisation follows the same three-step low-temperature vacuum distillation used across the French Bloom range, working gently enough to keep the aromatic complexity intact. At £109 per bottle — individually numbered, presented in a collector's box — it is positioned firmly at the prestige end of the AF wine market. Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger oversees the process, and his Champagne background is legible in every aspect of how this is made.