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Wine Description
The Story
This Champagne comes from a rare, ungrafted vineyard of Pinot Meunier. Phylloxera has never touched this sandy parcel, and we passionately continue to preserve these vines. The limestone content is lower in this vineyard than in the surrounding ones, with only the primary root of the vine descending deep into the calcareous bedrock. This wine provokes strong emotions. Once the proper tasting temperature is reached and the wine sufficiently aerated (varying according to the vintage), it offers a wide range of flavors and aromas that reflect the history and origin of our terroir.
- Blend : 100% Pinot Meunier from ungrafted vines
- Dosage : No added sugar
- Vinification : Oak barrels (3 to 9 years old), natural yeasts, no filtration
- Vine age : 60 years old/li>
- Vintages : 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Soils : Thanetian sands, with a deep root system extending over two meters (over 6.5 feet)
Vintage 2017
A very weak year for most Pinot Noir. First, severe April frosts caused significant crop loss. After a hot summer, unexpected rain in July and August caused rot in the vineyards. Overall, a fifth of the crop suffered from rot, with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir hit the worst. A normal-sized harvest (10,057 kg/ha) was picked from August 26th onwards. Despite attempts at intense selection in the vineyards, the quality was simply not there in the red grapes.
Although 2017 wont be widely declared, some individual successes may be found. For example, several iconic prestige cuvée Blanc de Blancs were made, including Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs.
Fortunately, the following 2018 vintage was a success in both quantity and quality, enabling winemakers to discard unwanted reserve wines from 2017.