Champagne Millésime 2013 Franc de Pied - Pinot Noir&Meunier

50% Pinot Noir & 50% Pinot Meunier | 2 verschillende wijngaarden in de Montagne de Reims | 'Les Limons' in Vrigny en 'Les Linguets' in Gueux | 30 tot 51 jaar oude stokken | compacte 'Thanetian' zandbodems | gisting in barriques | rijping voor 10 maanden in staaltank | 8 jaar sur lattes gerijpt | dosage 3 g/l | na degorgeren nog 6 maanden rijping voordat de wijn het domein verlaat | diep | brioche | | rijpe appel | amandel | zilt | zachte mousse | evt decanteren | 2013 is jaar vol energie

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

Disgorged in October 2021 with three grams per liter dosage, Coulon's 2013 Blanc de Noirs Millésime is a blend of ungrafted Pinot Meunier and old-vine Pinot Noir growing in sandy soils (which explains why the Meunier has been spared by phylloxera). Wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp golden orchard fruit, mirabelle plum, clear honey, freshly baked bread and buttery pasty, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and layered, with superb intensity without weight, racy acids and an attractive pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a long, intensely saline finish, this is a brilliant effort for this singularly underrated producer! 95/100 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.