Champagne 1e cru L’Hommée - Chardonnay & Pinot Noir

60% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir en 5% reserve wijn | 1e Cru wijngaarden in Montagne de Reims | 40 tot 50 jaar oude stokken | compacte 'Thanetian' zandbodems | gisting in staaltank en barriques | rijping voor 10 maanden op oude 600l vaten | 5 jaar sur lattes gerijpt | dosage 3 g/l | na degorgeren nog 6 maanden rijping voordat de wijn het domein verlaat | floraal | tikje frisser dan Heri-Hodi | rond | elegant | confit van citroen | lang

Roger Coulon

De trip naar Frankrijk in '22 heeft duidelijk zijn vruchten afgeworpen. Deze toevoeging aan ons portfolio is dan ook zeer welkom. En top recept van een lange geschiedenis die nu wordt gerund door de jongste generatie, daar houden we van. De wijnen laten dit ook echt zien. Het zijn wijnen met klasse, gelaagdheid, elegantie, complexiteit, diepgang en plezier. Alles komt hier samen. Vader en zoon Edgar en Eric zijn onderweg om zich te voegen aan de club Champagne huizen die we graag zien; 'Grower Champagne'. Alles van eigen hand en eigen wijngaarden. Traditioneel en artisanaal. 

Review

From massale selections growing in the family's historic holdings around the village, the latest rendition of Coulon's NV Brut L'Hommée is based on the 2018 vintage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of peach, ripe citrus, white flowers, buttery pastry and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and incisive, with racy acids and a bright, penetrating finish. 92/100 William Kelley

Eric and Isabelle Coulon, seconded by their children Louise and Edgar, farm 11 hectares, divided into fully 120 parcels, in the northern Montagne de Reims, mostly in Vrigny and its environs, where Meunier growing in sandy soils dominates—some of it ungrafted, and all of it, in the Coulon's case, derived from massale selections. Viticulture, certified organic since 2019, is progressive, with cover crops to control humidity and thus mitigate disease pressure (Meunier is susceptible to rot), and it follows agroforestry initiatives; and Eric Coulon, much like his brother-in-law Francis Egly, believes in picking late in pursuit of full physiological maturity. In the cellar, some cuvées see oak barrels (with 10% to 15% new wood), and the target is some 4.5 to five kilograms of pressure, as opposed to the more standard six. These are vinous, intensely flavored Champagnes of considerable character, lent a particular texture and grain by their emphasis on Meunier growing on sand, so I'm a little ashamed that it has taken me so long to beat a path to the Coulons' door, given the quality and consistency this visit revealed. These wines will certainly find a place in my own cellar, and I warmly encourage readers to try them.