65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay
50% of Chardonnay matures in oak barrels
5 years bottle aging
Dosage 8g/l
Disgorged by hand
On the nose white flowers, lemon and brioche.
On the palate, aromas of candied fruit and honey.
66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay
Aging in stainless steel tanks and 10% of the Chardonnay in oak barrels
Single vineyards Les Rosets (PN) and Les Vouagnes (CH) in Ecueil
> 5 years bottle agigng
dosage 5g/l
Tilman FEB24: Very complex cuvée, with great spice from the Pinot Noir and mineral freshness from the Chardonnay. Invigorating and complex!
Moritz OCT22: The Cuvée Alain has a very balanced nose of a light dark spice, citrus fruits and violets. The fresh acidity lets the champagne dance lightly over the tongue. In the finish you can feel a subtle bitter note, which gives length again.
100% Pinot Meunier
Terroir: Cuisles, Chatillon sur Marne, Serzy, Mareuil le port
Dosage: 0g/l
3 years of bottle aging
Vinification in inox tanks
With malolactic fermentation
Lukas NOV22: warm and spicy notes in the nose, hints of brioche with some green currant and fresh cherry, the mouth is dominated by lime and currant while the brioche takes a back seat, a very nice, complex, medium-bodied champagne that benefits from some air
Tasting Aug22 Moritz: Despite its juiciness, the wine comes across as very fresh. The nose is dominated by a pithy dark sour cherry, paired with a subtle green bitterness that creates a beautiful balance. With a little air, notes of gooseberry can be found. Great fresh fruity champagne.
This Champagne bears the hallmark of the Pinot Noir variety from the heart of the Cumières Terroir. We aim to offer the best expression of Pinot Noir from several different plots of the Terroir each year. This Champagne owes its complexity and its substance to the chalky clay soil and then reveals an elegance that typifies the great Terroirs.
Soil: clay and chalk, with fragments of flint; a selection of very early-ripening plots above Cumières (Barremonts, Demoiselles, Houtrants)
Average age of the vines: 30 years
Blending: 100% Pinot Noir
Dosage: 3 g/l
Geoffroy's Blanc de Noirs matured on the yeast for six years. The varietal Pinot Noir has a subtle character with multilayered aromatics. Highly elegant and fine fruity, powerful presence on the palate, red and yellow raspberries, fresh citrus notes, very fine bubbles, mineral finish with wonderful length.
Nicola OKT23 VT16: The current Empreinte has a radiant, powerful character, is very lively and present, with great Pinot expression.
VINIFICATION: Harvested and sorted by hand; pressed on a traditional Coquard wine press; only the cuvée (first juice of the pressing) is selected; vinification plot-by-plot to 80% in tuns, demi-muid casks and barrels. Avoidance of malolactic fermentation.TASTING: On the nose, a coated, flattering bouquet of a complex palette of aromas of red fruits; airy, bright and vigorous in the mouth. Boasting great freshness, generous doses of strawberry andredcurrant dictate, punctuated by hints of fragrant flowers, such as peonies. It maintains a beautiful balance with a persistent finish.
PAIRING: By virtue of its power, this Champagne Empreinte complements the expressive flavours ofgastronomic cooking remarkably well. Bresse chicken with morel mushrooms, quail with grapesor a fricassee of forest mushrooms harmonise perfectly with this Champagne Empreinte, servedat 11-12° C.
PRESS REVIEWSJAMES SUCKLING.COM - Oct 2016 - 93/100Bettane & Desseauve 2017 : 16,5/20Guide RVF 2017 15/20Guide Gault Millau 2014 : 15/20Guide Larousse du Champagne 2014 : ****Tyson Stelzer – Australie – 2014 : 94/100Wine advocate – USA : 91/100Vinum 2013 - Allemagne : 16.5/20Stephen Tanzer’s – USA : 92/100Burghound – USA : 91/100
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
Dosage: 6g/l
6 month in oak barrels
In 1999 the house created its second Tête de Cuvée, named for Laetitia's daughter, Julie. It is created from equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Usually a single vintage champagne, although it is not marked as such on the label. The barrel-matured cuvée has a distinctive and individual character. Pairs beautifully with many meat dishes, smoked foods, and flavorful dishes — often called a "fireplace champagne."
100% Pinot Noir
Dosage: 0g/l
5 years of bottle maturity
Single vineyard "en Barmont": a warm place whose south-eastern exposure and the clay-marl rock, interspersed with Kimmeridgian limestone, result in a ripe Pinot Noir.
Vinified in oak
Rosé preparation: Macération Carbonique for 4 days
80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier
Dosage: 3-4g/l
Vinification in steel tanks
5 years bottle aging
With malolactic fermentation
Nicola OCT23: Super strong, with drive, vibrating. Lively acidity, but well integrated, exciting, powerful, nutty finish.
Nicola MRZ23: Rich, feel good, honey, walnuts, the low dosage also makes it fresh and addictive for the next sip, chimney champagne, brioche, nougat, apple strudel.
100% Chardonnay
Selection of the best Chardonnay plots from Cumières:
50% Le Chene (Southeast, very ripe fruit)
50% Tournamidi (western orientation, almost no surface above the chalk)
Average age of the vines: 35 years
All batches are vinified separately, without malolactic fermentation
First fermentation 45% in oak
Tribute to the Chardonnay in Cumieres
Dosage: 2g/l
Nicola OKT23: Volupte 16 is a powerful, dark, spicy release, including exotic fruits, something tart, zesty, lots of body and power.
Tasting OCT21: The 14 is currently still quite closed and very tight, still needs some time.
Tasting FEB20: 2013 is once again a real Volupté - exuberant, expressive, creamy, generous, buttery, but with a lot of finesse on the back, beautiful!
PRESS REVIEWS
2019 – James.Suckling.com: 98/1002019 –RVF Guide: 15/202019 –Bettane et Desseauve Guide: 16.5/202018 –RVF Guide: 15.5/202018 –Gault Millau Guide: 16.5/202018 – Bettane & Desseauve Guide: 16/202018 – Vinum – Germany: 18,5/202018/2019 –Tyson Stelzer Guide – Australia: 93/1002017 – James.suckling.com: 94/100Le point – J. Dupont: 16/20Burghound – USA: 90/100Wine Advocate – USA: 94/100Stephen Tanzer’s – USA: 92/100Vinous – USA: 92/100Terry Theise about 2008: Great masterpiece and killer value. This is establishing a track record as one of Champagnes great wines, offering character, yumminess and value.
100% Chardonnay
86% Grand cru – 14% 1er cru:60% CRAMANT Grand Cru - 16% Bateau, Gros Mont; 14% Briquettes, 16% Buissons und 14% Terroir26% CHOUILLY Grand Cru Montaigu14% CUIS 1er Cru Croix-Blanche und Roualles
Bottle aging: 4-5 years
With malolactic fermentation
Dosage: 5g/l
This cuvée is the result of a very careful job at all stages of elaboration. The blending, made exclusively with Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, is a delicate blend from old vineyards over 40 years old, the oldest were planted in 1911 and 1913.The Special Club is mainly composed of « hearts of each terroirs » of Cramant Grand Cru, completed by Chouilly « Montaigu » and a touch of Cuis 1er cru to bring freshness, signature of Pierre Gimonnet& Fils style.This cuvée, « nec plus ultra » of our terroirs, is distinguished by a very silky texture, finesse and elegance worthy of the greatest.
Antonio Galloni Vintage 2014 – 95P: This brings together so many of the elements that makes these Champagnes so distinctive. There is plenty of freshness, power and volume. Old vines in Cramant, Chouilly and Cuis confer palatable richness and feeling of gravitas that is impossible to miss. At the same time, there is a touch of translucence that is so alluring.
100% Meunier
Alcoholic fermentation and aging in barrels
Vineyard of the Vallée de la Marne : Jonquery, parcelle les Roches
Soils : argileux (illite)
Alcoolic Fermentation : in oak barrels
Malolactic Fermentation : no
Bottle aging: 36 months under cork
Dosage: Brut Nature
100% Pinot Meunier
Dosage: 2g/l
Single vineyard: Les Chataigniers Festigny
Spontaneous fermentation
With malolactic fermentation
Aged for 12 months in oak barrels (new to 10 years old)
100% Chardonnay
from the Grand Cru vineyards of Avize
> 6 years bottle aging on the lees
Dosage: 4 g/l
The Cuvée 05 is Leclaire Thiefaine's vintage champagne and is only produced in the best years.Good structure and very rich in finesse with a pleasant melt on the palate. The perfect accompaniment to fine poultry such as partridge or pheasant.
Daniela Dejnega: Associations of butterscotch, roasted almonds, honey, bee sting, buttercream and frankfurter wreath, along with a perky animating acidity, make this vintage champagne seem voluminous, oily and broad but never heavy.
100% Pinot Noir
Dosage: Extra Brut
old vines (1968)
Vinified in enameled steel
No sulfites added
Without sulfites, the Champagne naturally matures at a rate slightly faster than average, translating into a distinctive, powerful character with slightly mature flavors. Brioche notes, for example, unseen in the other Champagnes from Marie Corutin. The no-sulfite champagnes are new to the program, giving producer and consumer alike a fascinating chance to explore just how the champagnes will age during cellaring.
50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir
Dosage: 0g/l
Vinification in wooden barrels
Unfiltered, unsulphurized
Slightly smoky notes, energetic and powerful!
Peter Liem: In the 2008 vintage, Lahaye began making a sans soufre champagne, called Violaine. Made of equal parts chardonnay and pinot noir, this comes from two adjacent parcels of 20-year-old vines on the border of Bouzy and Tauxières: the chardonnay is planted on the Tauxières side, in the west-facing vineyard of Les Argentières, while the pinot noir is from Les Monts des Tours on the Bouzy side, which is more southerly in exposition, with a more gentle slope. In the first vintage, Lahaye fermented with selected yeasts rather than native ones: "In the first year," he says, "I wanted to see the real effects of vinification without sulfur, and I didn't want to risk the variability of indigenous yeasts." Satisfied with his progress, he has fermented subsequent editions with native yeasts; the wine is made entirely without added sulfur from start to finish, and left on its lees until July, with no racking until bottling. While Violaine has always come from a single harvest, it hasn’t been released as a vintage-dated champagne, although this will change beginning with the 2013 or 2014 release.
45% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier
Dosage: 0g/l
Selection of the first juices only (Coeur de cuvee)
Terroir:
Chamery Premier Cru, lieux-dit of « les Vigneules”, “les Spectres” and «les Caquerets », south-east exposition of the slopes.
Topsoil of calcareous clay studded with limestone pebbles. Subsoil of sand rich in fossils shell.
Vinification:
Entirely elaborated without sulfites nor any additives. Neither filtered nor finned.
First fermentation with Indigenous yeasts, in 228 L and 400L oak barrels (4 years old wood). Malo-lactic fermentation realized.
9 months on lees before bottling
4 years of bottle maturity
100% Chardonnay
Dosage: 4g/l
4 years of bottle maturity
Terroir 100% CHOUILLY Grand Cru
Only from one plot « Montaigu », planted between 1951 and 1991
Harvest 10 au 21 septembre 2015
Vinification:
Temperature controlled alcoholic fermentation
Malolactic fermentation
Elevated 6 months on lees
Cold Stabilization (-4°) and filtration on clay
Bottling avril 2016
Disgorgement 3 months before shipping
Produktion 3923 bottles
Terry Theise: Part of a three-commune series of Club bottlings, in tiny quantities, and again, this arose not from dissatisfaction with the existing Clubs (which are perfect and need not be improved—cannot be) but from sheer curiosity. What’s everyone talking about with these micro-terroir wines? There’s also a Cramant wine for which the jury’s out. But this will be interesting! Disg. 3/17 it is 100% Montaigu (planted in 1951), picked 9/21 and not chaptalized. He plans to release it at year’s end, but I might suggest waiting longer, bearing in mind I tasted from a bottle disgorged in the previous couple days.
Didier Gimonnet: "Power and minerality from a great terroir - The « OGER GRAND CRU » is the only Gimonnet champagne coming from the south of Côte des Blancs. It stands out for its natural power and its mineral expression such as smoky, graphite and flint notes.
With 12 hectares of Grand Cru, we have never elaborated a cuvée 100 % Grand Cru. Our champagne winemaking philosophy has always pushed us to add a touch of « Cuis 1er cru » to bring freshness in our great vintages because we prefer harmony to intensity. Since the vintage 2012, we have decided to expand our range; the iconic “Grands Terroirs de Chardonnay” is completed by 3 “single terroirs” in very limited quantities. These “single terroir” Champagnes are the exceptions that confirm therule.
VINTAGE 2016Grape variety 100% ChardonnayTerroirs 100% Oger Grand CruSouth of Côte des Blancs4 plots:47% « Terres de Noël » and « Bruly » (heart of terroir)30% « Champs Nérons » (Oger on chalk)23% « Fondy » (Oger argilo-calcaire)Harvest 26th September 2015 at 11°40 (natural)
Malolactic fermentationBottling April 2017Bottle Ageing more than 5 yearsDosage: 4,5g/lAnnual production 2921 bottles
Tasting: JUN21: wonderfully chalky on the nose, subtle, unobtrusive scent, nothing fruitful. Clear and sparkling clean start, firm structure - but without excessive severity, deep, definitely has body and power. Not for soft drinkers, but for the advanced connoisseur who wants to taste the terroir in his glass.
100% Chardonnay
Dosage: 0g/l
No blending for this single-cru Champagne: Chardonnays only, coming from the vineyard plots of Les Barillers and Les Faucherets situated mid-slope in Vertus, facing south-east. One terroir only and one vintage only.
Vinification and maturation: The natural alcoholic fermentation (natural yeast) and the malolactic fermentation begin spontaneously in our casks, our wooden vats and our stainless-steel tanks. The wines are left on their natural lees for nearly a year and undergo gentle bâtonnages, but no filtering or fining. If the year merits it, this cuvée will be bottled in July without any blend with other years - it is a vintage - or other terroirs - it is a single vineyard.
Then the bottles are then taken down into the coolness of our cellars, where the second fermentation and the maturation 'on laths' quietly take place over a period of at least 5 years.
Each bottle is disgorged manually 6 months before being marketed. This wine is non dosé (no sugar added), in order to respect its purity from beginning to end.
Tasting notes - WineSpectator.com, December 7, 2017 - 91 points: Fresh and floral, this is well-cut and minerally, with finely meshed flavors of apple tarte Tatin, grated ginger, honeycomb and slivered almond. Rich, yet vibrant throughout. - Alison Napjus
100% Chardonnay
Single vineyard "Les Vozémieux" from the Grand Cru Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Dosage: 3g/l
Old Vines
Tasting vintage 2013: A prime example of an incredibly firm and robust champagne. Biscuit and white bread notes on the nose give way to subtle fruit and herbal aromas, has depth, the fine enamel in a lively interplay with the stimulating perlage. Radiant, extremely fine character.