The NV Extra Brut L'Atavique Tradition is a dazzling wine. Deep and resonant on the palate and yet finely-cut, the Atavique captures the combination of fruit intensity and tension that is the signature of Verzy. Bright, saline notes give energy to this Pinot-heavy NV Champagne from Mouzon-Leroux. The blend is 80% 2013 and 20% 2012/2011, 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. What impresses me most, though, is flashes of brilliance that suggest what future wines here might be like. Dosage is 2 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2018.

Disgorged in February 2021 with two grams per liter dosage, the NV Extra-Brut L'Atavique Tradition offers up aromas of mint, lime zest, crisp orchard fruit and vanilla pod. Medium-bodied, taut and linear, it's chalky and incisive, with racy acids, a pillowy mousse and a long, saline finish.

The NV Champagne L'Atavique Tradition Extra Brut is 65% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, with 50% from the 2018 vintage. It was raised in 80% French oak and 20% stainless steel. It is vinous and savory with mineral expression, with dark notes of plum, wet asphalt, and broth. The palate is balanced and crunchy, with wet rock, kirsch, and hay. Offering persistence and density without feeling heavy, its gastronomic style has a lightly natural feel. Drink over the next 10 years.

Frothy and open-knit, with a tangy backbone of acidity and modest notes of crab apple, kumqaut and slivered almond. Disgorged October 2018. Drink now.