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Charles Heidsieck’s chef de cave Cyril mostly early blooming. The use of oak was COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS Brun selected in 2017 four particularly at times heavy-handed, but tannins were CHAMPAGNE IS NOT COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS: impressive barrels of Chardonnay of generally quite supple and well managed, BURGUNDY, AND WE varying origins to be displayed as still and only a few wines were on the green MAY HOPE THAT A wines. Sold as a set of four, the idea is to side. None of the three Meunier reds STILL LIFE allow the taster to discover Champagne’s impressed us, and more experience is DISTINCTIVE RANGE various terroirs and reach a fuller clearly needed to tame the variety for OF STYLES IS FORGED understanding of the role of the master red-wine making. blender. Another milestone is Louis Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Still winemaking (red, white, and rosé) is on the up in Champagne. But how Roederer’s launch of its Hommage à whites did better than reds. Our overall ESSI AVELLAN MW’S TOP WINES Camille Coteaux Champenois duo this average score for whites was 86.4; for reds, Paul Bara Coteaux Champenois Rouge good are the results? Essi Avellan MW introduces a promising, varied, if spring (see pp.70–71 of this issue). 85.3. Jancis was critical about some of the Bouzy Grand Cru 2015 91 variable tasting shared with Simon Field MW and Jancis Robinson MW reds, finding ten of the 27 to be worth less Domaine La Borderie Coteaux Champenois The verdict than 80 points. But encouragingly she also Rouge Les Devoix 2018 91 The archetypal description of old-school scored five reds at 90+. Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois Blanc Montgueux NV [2017] 91 he eyes of the Champenois are The late 20th century’s most iconic still wine growers, such as myself, studied in Coteaux Champenois rouge was mean, Some of the whites were too base- turning ever more toward their Burgundy rather than in Champagne.” lean, and green, while the whites were winey, lacking volume and texture, but in J de Telmont Coteaux Champenois Insolite wines included Bollinger La Côte aux Chardonnay 2015 91 Burgundian neighbors. As a Enfants, Moët & Chandon Saran Blanc New-generation ways can be tasted at typically guilty of being razor-sharp general they were correct, even if some T Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois Blanc result of an increasing focus on terroir de Blancs, and Egly-Ouriet Ambonnay Drappier, too, where Hugo Drappier crafts and base-winey. But with a growing were regrettably neutral. The range of Villers-Marmery [2017] 90 winemaking and the rise of new-wave Rouge. Even if sparkling wine dominated, Coteaux Champenois from Pinot Gris. number of producers putting their Chardonnays varied from rich, oak- Coessens Coteaux Champenois Rouge Lieu-Dit grower Champagnes, still-wine making is many producers maintained the still-wine The Côte des Bar also contributes hearts and souls into crafting serious flavored, and tropical, to lean, tight, and Largillier Vendange Égrappée 2017 90 still wines—and with climate change on the rise. Climate change is helping, and tradition—if not for sale then for in-house a unique wine to Champagne’s portfolio, mineral. We were not impressed by any Philipponnat Coteaux Champenois Rouge the 2018–20 trilogy of warm vintages gastronomic purposes. a still rosé called Rosé des Riceys, which contributing—the category is fast of the classic Champagne blends of Mareuil 2015 90 in particular has ignited excitement was once a favorite of the Sun King Louis evolving. Eager to discover where the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but found Tarlant Coteaux Champenois Rouge among both growers and houses. A range of styles XIV himself. Having held appellation region sits today with its still wines, we many of the blanc de noirs, both Meunier Grand Picou à St-Agnan 2018 90 During the past 50 years, we have Even if red, white, and rosé wine contrôlée status since 1947, it has an tasted a solid sample of 50 whites, reds, and Pinot Noir, quite fun. Still, our top Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois Blanc all but forgotten the still-wine tradition production is authorized, the vast majority annual average production of 50,000 and Rosés de Riceys from good producers. white was Etienne Calsac’s blend of Vertus [2017] 89 of Champagne. From early Roman times (some 90 percent) of output is red. The bottles, from some 25 producers. Of Les Simon Field MW was still “left Chardonnay and historical varieties Pinot Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois Rouge until the middle of the 18th century, entire Champagne vineyard area may Riceys’ 866ha (2,140 acres) of vineyards, uninspired,” and for Jancis Robinson MW Blanc, Petit Meslier, and Arbane. There Cumières 2012 89 the region was known for its still wines. produce still wines, and all of the region’s 350ha (865 acres) are authorized for the tasting was “far from unalloyed joy.” may clearly be an interesting twist to P Louis Martin Coteaux Champenois Rouge The frothing “devil’s wine” was gradually seven authorized grape varieties are the making this unique rosé, which I had done a similar tasting three years these, as we also appreciated Drappier’s Bouzy Grand Cru 2013 89 tamed, and sales of sparkling Champagne permitted. Understandably, due to the is produced by the semi-carbonic previously so had a good idea of what Pinot Gris Trop m’en faut! Bollinger Coteaux Champenois Rouge Aÿ La Côte aux Enfants 2015 88 in bottles were authorized in 1728. The tiny volumes produced, the rules in most maceration of Pinot Noir grapes. The to expect. Even so, I was disappointed not We didn’t taste any Coteaux to find more improvement during the Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois growth of fizzy Champagne was slow, respects follow Champagne legislation. resulting wine leans toward being a Champenois rosé and only four Rosés Oger Blanc [2017] 88 however, and by the end of the 18th Traditionally, many of Champagne’s light red wine rather than a classic pale interim. On the other hand, we should des Riceys. The style is far from the Drappier Coteaux Champenois Blanc de Pinot century, non-sparkling wines still made still wines were multi-vintage blends; rosé, but colors vary. Nevertheless, it remember that the red wines from the now-trendy pale pink, quaffable style— Noir Perpetuité NV 88 up more than 90 percent of Champagne’s however, most new-wave wines tend to is a gastronomic wine that can have great trio of warm vintages 2018, 2019, rather, it is serious, even severe. Even if the Egly-Ouriet Coteaux Champenois Rouge output. But with the industrialization of be single-harvest, and very often single- exceptional aging potential for still rosé. and 2020 are yet to come on the market. phenolics were pronounced at times, we Ambonnay Cuvée des Grands Côtés the Champagne method, the success vineyard, wines. Varietal blending takes South-facing slopes of the Montagne We tasted four 2018s, which did generally found alluring elements, especially in the Vieilles Vignes 2018 88 of the sparkling style soon outshone the place even if most red wines are pure de Reims and Grande Vallée de la Marne show well. Tarlant’s Grand Picou Rouge Rosés des Riceys of Alexandre Bonnet, Les Frères Mignon Coteaux Champenois Blanc popularity of still wines, and it became Pinot Noir. Following Champagne’s are now, and have been in the past, home was our overall winner: impressively deep the most prolific producer of the style. 2016 88 the region’s bread and butter. micro-boom for varietal Meunier, 100 to many fine Coteaux Champenois, and colored, fruit-packed, and boldly oak- Georges Remy Coteaux Champenois Rouge In the early appellation laws of percent Meuniers are also produced. The prestigious village names such as Bouzy, supported. In a blind tasting, one would Conclusions Bouzy Le Chapeau de Fer 2014 88 1927, still wines went by the name vin red varieties are also in use for blanc de Ambonnay, Aÿ, and Cumières often never put this in Champagne, but we were Even if we had few wow moments, the Georges Remy Coteaux Champenois Rouge Bouzy Les Vaudayants 2016 88 ordinaire de la Champagne viticole. noirs Coteaux Champenois. Recently, the feature on labels. But the rest of the Marne all impressed. Egly-Ouriet’s Ambonnay tasting painted an encouraging picture Rouge is always one of the most of the widely rising interest in still wines Cristian Senez Coteaux Champenois Rouge The much more inviting name vin nature region’s historic varieties Arbane, Petit Valley is also getting excited about still Réserve NV 88 de la Champagne was in use from 1953 Meslier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris have wine. One particularly passionate grower monumental reds of the region, and the from Champagne and the vast repertoire Georges Vesselle Coteaux Champenois Rouge until 1974, when the current Coteaux started to make their way into Coteaux is Benoît Tarlant, whose repertoire also 2018 we found to be even a little too much; of styles. It is very much work in progress, Bouzy Cuvée Véronique-Sylvie NV 88 Champenois appellation was finally Champenois as well, especially in the Côte includes Georgian qvevri-vinified red for Simon, a little overripe, and for Jancis, with the dwindling still-wine tradition created. It resulted in a short-term boom, des Bar, which has most of the plantings. and skin-contact white. This spring, he rather extracted—it craved time. But needing to be recovered or reinvented. annual production rising from 1.2 million is releasing no fewer than nine Coteaux we also tasted two lovely, elegant, and In today’s climate, the necessary ripeness AVERAGE AND RANGE OF SCORES bottles to 4.2 million by 1978, after which Regional developments Champenois, so his belief in the category varietally true, even if not similarly can be achieved, and early harvests aid Average Range a steady decline followed. In 2000, when Today, the southern part of Champagne is strong. Determined to make the most monumental, 2018s from Domaine grape health, an essential prerequisite French Customs stopped compiling is witnessing great enthusiasm for still of the region’s richly varied terroirs, he La Borderie and Pierre Paillard. for good red wine in particular. But Tasting 86 70–92 separate statistics of Coteaux Champenois, wines. Simon Normand of Domaine explains, “We make wines of Champagne, The age-span of vintages was wide, Champagne is not Burgundy, and we may production was down to a mere 235,000 La Borderie explains the boom with be they sparkling, still, white, pink, or red.” and many of the older wines left us hope that a distinctive range of styles is EA 87 70–91 bottles. Today, the Comité Champagne reference to climate and terroir but also Along with the new generation of longing for more fruit and vivacity. forged. In Champenois fashion, there is estimates average production at 75,000 to a more Burgundian mentality. “Here in growers, Champagne houses are showing Based on what we tasted, the red wines’ a rainbow of possible styles that will offer SF 86 70–91 bottles, with vintage differences causing the Côte des Bar, we feel quite close to our increasing interest in still wines. Inspired aging capacity can seem limited, since the authentic and truly exciting expressions JR 84 72–92 significant variation from year to year. Burgundian cousins. Many local young by their first oak-barrel vinifications, fruitiness is often delicate, even thin, and of this endlessly fascinating region. n

210 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 71 | 2021 THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 71 | 2021 | 211 tasting / savor / Coteaux Champenois Essi Avellan MW EA | Simon Field MW SF | Jancis Robinson MW JR COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS Tarlant Coteaux Champenois aromatic of autumnal orchard fruit and a hint fruitiness. Lovely fruit expression, very clean and JANCIS ROBINSON MW’S VERDICT them. Lees stirring and oak maturation provide Rouge Grand Picou à St-Agnan of fig; behind that maybe petrichor, but it is correct and comes with nuances. Stylishly silky on flamboyant makeup, but the raw material 91 very subtle. The palate is held together by firm the harmonious and friendly palate. Fine freshness thereunder is concealed, all the more so as [Pinot Noir] 2018 There is no pattern to follow in this category, I was surprised by how many red wines (13% ABV) acidity and has medium-plus length; correct and vibrancy up until the very end of the fruity, even it gives every sign of being a little thin and which is all over the place, including skin- there were—some reminded me of old- and upstanding, if currently lacking just a little playful palate. A smart and pleasant whole. | 91 lackluster. A valiant attempt, nonetheless. | 88 contact orange wine, which is quite fun. All fashioned New World Pinots. Oak mastery EA | Opaque purple color. Full-on, powerful, oak- excitement. | 88 SF | Ruby, rich, regal, a little syrupy; the nose JR | Now, this still wine has actually evolved of the whites were quite deep colored—no was by no means guaranteed. Maybe these enhanced nose, with vanilla and spicy tones over JR | Nicely integrated, composed nose, but it recalls undergrowth, autumn leaves, and pine aromatically—hooray! It very charmingly splits water-white specimens—but too often there vintages were a bit too early to see the charred blueberry, ink, and blackberry fruit. Very smells as though it may be fading. Good grip cones. The palate is less advanced in the sense the difference between Champagne and the Côte was a lack of vinosity. Very few of the whites climate-change effect? I was amazed that much on the dark-fruit side, with tar and animally and balance. If served this blind, I might take this that the secondary fruit (plum and damson) de Beaune; bone-dry and savory/toasty, with were like Chablis; some seemed to be trying there were so many old reds. evolution rising in glass over time. There is for a slightly muted Chablis. Drink 2018–22. | 87 has yet to take on a discernibly syrupy texture. notes of yeast extract. I wouldn’t age it much to be white Burgundy, others sui generis. This tasting was far from unalloyed joy. plenty of volume on the sweet, rich palate, which Nonetheless, overall the wine appears clumsy longer, but I admire what has been achieved. The rosé colors were very distinctive—they I suspect this is an overpriced category—high finishes just a little short, with brisk acidity and and workmanlike, and certainly more than a little Drink 2017–21. | 90 Coessens Coteaux Champenois definitely didn’t get the Provençal pink prices because of rarity rather than inherent plentiful tannins. Very rich and full for Coteaux Rouge Lieu-Dit Largillier strained at the end of the palate. | 86 89 memo!. All look like young Pinot saignée. But quality. But contrary to expectations, there Champenois, if a little too oak-dominant for the JR | Dark garnet color—looks quite healthy. Vendange Égrappée [Pinot the reds were quite amazingly deep colored! were some wines that were valid as still wines, Drappier Coteaux Champenois time being. | 90 (13% ABV) Sweet, fruity nose that is recognizably Pinot. (12% ABV) 88 Noir] 2017 Overextraction was common. and they weren’t all too tart. Trop m’en faut! NV SF | Dense crimson, onyx at the core; nose Juicy and complete, this is a well-constituted red dominated by oak; charcoal, coal tar, and graphite; EA | Medium-deep ruby color. Youthful oak-lined wine which still has something to give. A little EA | Lemony, a little hazy. Soft, even mute nose, TOP WINES one has to infer dark fruit in this instance. The nose, with clean dark-cherry and blackberry fruit. dry on the end, it would drink well with a meal with appley tones and some toasty evolution. compote fruit seduces on the palate, creamy Fine spiciness on the adequately rich palate, now. (And if you had been tasting Champagne Crisp and zingy on the fleshy, youthful palate. Tarlant Coteaux Champenois Rouge Collet Coteaux Champenois Blanc vanillin and soft spice in support; the tannins which comes with substantial but ripe tannins. all day, you would fall on it with pleasure.) Grand Picou à St-Agnan 2018 92 Epernay 2015 90 Clean and correct but on the base-winey are ripe and elegant; the gentle volatility A well-made wine with a modern feel to it. Will Drink 2018–23. | 87 side. | 87 only enhances an impression of wonderfully gain in complexity and needs to integrate the Etienne Calsac Coteaux Champenois Les Frères Mignon Coteaux Champenois Blanc SF | Soft color, a gentle spritz and aromatic that Photogramme 2019 92 2017 90 idiosyncratic decadence, the quality of the fruit wood a little better. | 90 Bollinger Coteaux Champenois is a touch milky, with lanolin, pineapple, and more than meriting such a diversion. | 91 SF | Ruby red; a nose of strawberry, cherry, Rouge Aÿ La Côte aux Enfants 88 Doyard Coteaux Champenois Blanc Coessens Coteaux Champenois Rouge poached pear behind that. Attractive fruit on the JR | Extraordinarily deep crimson—almost black! and spice; cinnamon and sous-bois; gentle [Pinot Noir] 2015 (12.5% ABV) Vertus En Vieux Fombres 2015 90 Lieu-Dit Largillier Vendange Entière 2017 90 palate, too, mirabelle plum and hints of apricot This smells just like a rather successful New oak sits nicely, unobtrusive but adding weight Alexandre Bonnet Rosé des Riceys La Forêt 2017 90 Bollinger Coteaux Champenois Rouge and nectarine. Hard to discern a clear audience World oaked Pinot! With its sweetness and and an alluring complexity. The palate is soft EA | Deep ruby color. There is spicy depth to the Aÿ La Côte aux Enfants 2015 90 here, but neatly assembled and assuredly concentration, it is definitely making a point, and approachable; the milky texture hints at red-cherry, vanilla, capsicum, and cherry-drop Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois Blanc elegant. | 89 Les Collinardins Cuvée Parcellaire 2018 90 Tarlant Coteaux Champenois Blanc pretty forcefully. Is this Coteaux Champenois pashmina, the thread fine and discreet, any nose. Some bizarre meaty evolution. Structured JR | Deep straw. This certainly smells like a lively Kvevri Notre Dame à Celles-lès-Condé 2019 90 taken to an extreme? It’s quite fun, even if pungent intimations of oak now subsumed by the on the palate, with grippy tannins bringing a little H Goutorbe Coteaux Champenois Rouge young Chardonnay and not unlike a Chablis. and dramatic. Still quite youthful but with bags seductive nuance of the palate. Charming and hardness. Traditional style. Ready to drink. | 88 Aÿ 915 2009-inox / 2015-boisé (2015 Base) 90 Vigorous and vital. Not that complex but well of personality and persistence and—believe it or soft, lacking, for some, a backbone of tense SF | Mature, modestly browning color. Savory, hints balanced and well made. Drink 2021–25. | 87+ not—a certain mineral quality. Drink 2021–26. | 92 acidity, but eminently agreeable over the short of charcuterie and dried leaves—umami, maybe. and medium term. | 91 Hard to love, despite attempts to do so, because with dark and red cherries and spicy tones. Rather savory as a white Burgundy. You probably needed Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois Etienne Calsac Coteaux JR | Blackish crimson. Good lift on the nose the fruit is stripped, the acidity unashamedly primary still. Juicy medium-bodied palate, with to wait till 2020 before the oak had receded Rouge Cumières [Pinot Noir] 88 Champenois Blanc and indications of fully ripe Pinot fruit. Just a brutal and unreconstructed. Too late to feign lovely, soft phenolics. Long, fruity finish. In a year sufficiently. Drink 2020–23. | 87 2015 (12.5% ABV) Photogramme [Chardonnay/ 90 tad too much like sweet butter for perfection Pommard regality. Maybe not the best bottle? | 85 or two, when the nose will show more complexity, Pinot Blanc/Petit Meslier/ but it’s a flattering wine that has some light JR | Deep garnet color. There is quite intense this will be a very elegant Coteaux. | 91 Collet Coteaux Champenois EA | Medium-deep ruby color. The nose surprises Arbane] 2019 (12% ABV) tannin. Drink 2019–25. | 87 ripe fruit here, overlaid with a lightly metallic SF | Ruby red, magenta maybe. Cindery, slightly Blanc Epernay [Meunier] 2015 88 with its sweet, vanilla oaky first attack. Cherry note. Lots of rather joyous ripe fruit, with masses herbaceous nose behind the black cherry and the (11.5% ABV) and blueberry fruit are lined with spicy tones. EA | Bright, lemon-green color with a golden P Louis Martin Coteaux of Pinot character—almost exaggerated Pinot gorse; a hint of verbena and Brie skin somewhere, Round and soft, showing structural evolution, tinge. Expressive, sweetly fruity nose, with a light Champenois Rouge Bouzy character. Full-on wine that I think few would too—slightly unusual, therefore. Normal service EA | Blushing color. Some nice evolution to the too. Some good elements there, even if the oak 89 lift to it. An oily, winey texture to it and balanced, Grand Cru [Pinot Noir] 2013 put in Champagne if served it blind. Perhaps is resumed on the palate, which is a feast of clean and fruit-forward nose, with cherry, peach, seems a little heavy-handed and not yet fully crisp acidity. On the palate, the varnishy (12% ABV) made from fruit with a carefully reduced yield? crushed raspberry, grip, and self-belief; broad, vanilla, and floral fruit. The palate, with pencil integrated. | 87 characters become more prominent, but there is But well done. Drink 2019–25. | 90 open vistas of pleasure and gastronomic shavings and a red-berry character, is rather SF | Ruby red, a soft, plush color holding a supporting, vanilla-laden, oaky tone, too. Long, EA | Medium-deep ruby color. Attractive sweet potential opening up over the medium term. | 90 tart, overtaking the silky feel on the palate. Juicy nicely. The aromatic likewise; brambly fig and sweet finish. | 87 cherry fruit on the evolving but fruity nose. Turns Alexandre Bonnet Rosé des JR | Lighter crimson than some. Rather a livid finish. | 87 rosehip and then a hint of thyme, laurel maybe, SF | Straw-green, bright and clear, the slightest towards cherry essence over time. Stylishly silky Riceys La Forêt [Pinot Noir] 88 color. Fresh, ferny Pinot Noir aromas. A bit SF | Straw, with a hint of soft brick from the something from the kitchen garden. The palate of spritzes to enliven us all; leesy, mealy, a dash on the smooth palate, with age-mellowed tannins 2017 (12.5% ABV) simple, but at least it is not overdone and seems red grapes. A neutral nose; Gala apples, pulls Giacometti sinew, but that is exactly as it of honey and oyster shell; one recalls unoaked and good but not excessive freshness. A complete varietally true. Pretty demanding acidity at this something a little smoky, crushed pepper maybe, should be, and in this instance, the strain is not Chablis, youthful vigor writ large and as of and rather elegant whole. Ready to drink. | 89 EA | Pale ruby red. Pronouncedly sweet-berried point. Drink 2021–24. | 84 vestigial red fruit lurking somewhere. The stretched and the stretch is not strained. Evolving yet somewhat unformed; a fascinating blend; SF | Dense blood to vermillion; the nose boasts nose with cherries and strawberry essence. There palate holds this line. The overall impression is with assurance at no lack of speed. Approachable tradition rolls down the years, and there is wild strawberry and hints of orange and verbena; is a good volume of fruit also on the phenolic Charles Heidsieck Coteaux somewhat mournful; once again, one is lost in now with a plate of pork or veal. | 89 sapidity and salinity on the finish. Plate of rock a touch of smoke, too. Nicely evolved palate, palate, finishing a little hard and short. | 85 Champenois Blanc Vertus 88 contemplation of what might have been. Light on JR | Rather dull, grayish mid-garnet color. A hint oysters, anyone? | 90 just a hint of volatility; plum, raspberry, damson, SF | Vermillion, a surreal sunset. Nose of sloes, [Chardonnay] [2017] (12% ABV) its feet for sure, but this may be seen as a lack of of licorice (but not fruit) on the nose. Lightweight, JR | Mid-gold. Now, this has a really interesting and sloe. Holding up nicely—à point now, not blueberry, and a distant cassis—strangely gravitas and concentration. | 86 but nothing is out of balance—though the light nose. Complex, with some spice and dried overwhelmingly complicated. | 87 pleasing. The palate recalls tobacco and EA | Deep lemon color. Pronouncedly charred JR | A salmon-pink tinge to the deep straw color. tannins are still in evidence. Not unlike a fairly apricot, plus an interesting reductive note on JR | Rather evolved color but with a lip-smacking blackcurrant leaf, a little resinous, the phenolics nose, with high-quality oak coming through in a Pinot perfume. Creamy texture and not too tart modest 2015 red Burgundy, but it certainly has the finish. A genuine addition to the canon here, nose that promises well. Lots of ripe fruit and relatively strident, which, together with the stylish but strong way. A rich melange of sweet for once. The fruitiness of Meunier may work potential for future development. Just a bit dry on with a beginning, middle, and end to the tasting charm—and proper Pinot come-on, with great firm acidity, provide an intriguing backdrop. pineapple fruit, dried apricots, and pastry tones. particularly well for a still wine? Drink 2017–21. | 90 the end at the moment. Drink 2020–26. | 87+ experience. Quite long. Drink 2020–25. | 92 balance. Amazing this has lasted so well. This is Hard to immediately identify a constituency Brisk acidity takes over on the voluptuous palate. proper Pinot, with subtlety. Not too sweet, not that may flock to this style. | 88 Long, intensely fruity, juicy palate. | 89 Doyard Coteaux Champenois Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Charles Heidsieck Coteaux too dry. Layers of juice, raspberry and plum fruit JR | Attractive floral Pinot perfume. Neat and SF | Bright, with attractive aromatics dominated Blanc Vertus en Vieux Fombres 88 Champenois Blanc Oger 87 Champenois Blanc Montgueux 89 and spice. The tannin is fine but not intrusive. crisp, vital fruit without a trace of jamminess. by vanilla and papaya; inviting and persistent. [Chardonnay] 2015 (12.5% ABV) [Chardonnay] [2017] (12% ABV) [Chardonnay] [2017] (12% ABV) Dry but not drying finish. The star of the tasting? Really bracing and lively. Clean and fresh: bone- The tropical inclinations are developed on the Drink 2018–26. | 92 dry but by no means fruitless. Drink 2019–23. | 90 palate, a leesy, mealy bed on which the fruit can EA | Deep lemon-gold color. A notably oxidative EA | Glossy lemon color. There is a lovely toasty EA | Lemon-green color. Stylishly Burgundian stretch out, with only the firm acidity to hold nose, with appley fruit and dusty grappa tones. aging tone to the sweetly fruity nose. Lovely nose, with a touch of gunpowder and high-quality Paul Bara Coteaux Champenois Domaine La Borderie Coteaux the ensemble in check, which it does with great More interesting on the pronounced, rather oily volume on the palate, which comes with oak supporting the fine, delicate fruitiness. Rouge Bouzy Grand Cru [Pinot 88 Champenois Rouge Les Devoix 88 diligence. | 89 powerful palate, with good fruity length. | 86 accentuated acidity. Tropical fruit and dried Compact and focused on the beautifully acid- Noir] 2015 (12.5% ABV) [Pinot Noir] 2018 (12% ABV) JR | Bright gold with a greenish tinge. A bit of oak SF | Bright, with a little wheat coloring to indicate fruits, too. The well-balanced oaky sweetness lined palate. Long, pristinely fruity finish. | 91 on the nose but not excessively so—just! The development. The nose is lactic, yet laced does not overwhelm the luscious fruit. | 88 SF | Straw-bright with a watery rim; subtle EA | Ruby color. Inviting nose with juicy cherry EA | Medium-deep ruby color. Soft fruity nose, acidity is quite marked, and it doesn’t taste as with exotic fruit, pineapple and guava among SF | Pale straw, the gentlest of spritzes billowing

212 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 71 | 2021 THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 71 | 2021 | 213 tasting / savor / Coteaux Champenois Essi Avellan MW EA | Simon Field MW SF | Jancis Robinson MW JR COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS softly with the swell of a swirl; almost pungent the warm creamy core of fruit approachable now and soft chalky tannins. There is a hint of fig and skin contact and has therefore morphed into Alexandre Bonnet Coteaux Benoît Déhu Coteaux Champenois aromatic of plum, preserved lemon, and and delightfully so. | 89 spruce behind that. The oak has held it together something with a bit more personality than the Champenois Blanc Les Riceys 85 Rouge La Rue des Noyers 85 crushed rock. The palate shares these phenolic JR | Extraordinarily deep crimson—almost black. with charm and dexterity. | 87 average Coteaux Champenois. Lip-smacking— [Chardonnay/Pinot Noir] 2019 [Meunier] 2013 (12% ABV) inclinations and has a degree of girth, which may Sweet, buttery nose. Very sweet palate. Not JR | Glowing blackish ruby. Sweet and still with gets the saliva flowing. Light in alcohol but not in (12.5% ABV) or may not be puppy fat, as well as showing all the most refreshing red wine but certainly not some oaky notes—one of those New World personality. Drink 2019–23. | 90 EA | Deep ruby color. Volatile on the powerful the signs of providing gentle pleasure over the one you would expect to find in Champagne. Pinot styles on the nose, and a bit weak and soft EA | Pale lemon-green color. Elegantly restrained nose. Lots of farmyardy and savory tones short to medium term. | 87 There’s even a bit of heat on the end, suggesting on the palate. Unfocused. Drying finish. Drink Pierre Paillard Coteaux nose, with a touch of gunpowder bringing alongside sweet cherry fruit. Plentiful palate, JR | Bright pale gold. Light nose but quite a an alcohol level above 12.5%. Not refined 2016–21. | 84 Champenois Rouge Bouzy Les complexity over the cool, crunchy fruitiness. with freshness and structure. Lots of interesting 87 bit of extract on the palate. Very savory and but attention-grabbing, that’s for sure. A bit Mignottes [Pinot Noir] 2018 Apples, peaches, and fruit drops. Lean and tart on elements but the volatility takes away from the concentrated. A valid style. Clean and brisk. overextracted. Drink 2021–25. | 84 H Goutorbe Coteaux (12.5% ABV) the vibrant and finely textured, detailed palate. A charm. Tannins take over the finish. | 87 Bone-dry. Drink 2019–22. | 87 Champenois Rouge Aÿ 915 87 little singular and on the base-winey side but very SF | Evolved color; nose of figs and dark chocolate; Guy de Forez Les Riceys Rosé 2009-inox / 2015-boisé [Pinot EA | Medium-deep ruby. Some spicy and earthy correct, with some elegance to it. | 86 not unattractive, plum and soft spice behind that. Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Côte des Bar [Pinot Noir] 2017 87 Noir] (2015 Base) (12.5% ABV) aging complexity on the cherry and strawberry SF | Straw, with a hint of green and a luminosity, A touch of sulfur, also volatility, the faults lining Champenois Blanc Villers- (12% ABV) nose. Silky palate, with balanced tannins and too; nose somewhat anonymous, spring flowers on up and reluctant to dissipate. The palate has good 87 Marmery [Chardonnay] [2017] EA | Medium-deep ruby color with garnet hues. acidity. Pleasurable, even elegant, and will gain in a chilly morning, the hay wain before the workers weight for all that, spice and soft plum pudding. (12% ABV) EA | Pale ruby color. Mild, sweetly berried Sweet cherry fruit on the nose. Savory, with complexity from further time in the bottle. | 90 have arrived; the palate is more interesting; real Holding up well, especially contextually, but nose showing some evolution. Cranberries, animally and spicy evolution and some oxidative SF | Ruby red, bright and poised. Somewhat mute vin clair definition; flint and eggshells; quince and structurally far from entirely ept. | 87 EA | Medium-deep lemon color. Soft and lingonberries, and wild strawberries. Some notes. Soft, silky palate, with age-mellowed on the nose, the red fruit a little compromised. angelica root. What might have been can only be JR | Deep blackish ruby. Juicy fruit and nothing generous nose, with inviting, sweetly fruity tones, forest-floor and spice complexity. Nicely tannins. Traditional in style, less on the fruity The palate is also one-dimensional; maybe a read through the chiseled runes... | 86 too extreme on the nose. But the overall effect and a pastry, wax, and ground-coffee complexity. textured, light and only mildly phenolic on the side. | 85 little stretched, the fruit maybe yielding too JR | Bright pale straw. Looks quite technical is a little raw because of the high acid and the Really rich and sweetly oaky on the voluptuous, palate. Good drinkability. | 87 SF | Evolving color, brick to amber on the rim. much. The wine is simple and lacks generosity, after the orange wine I have just tasted [Tarlant fading fruit. Drink 2016–20. | 82 oily palate. Impressively velvety and voluminous, SF | Amber, damask; soft at the rim, with attractive A nose troubled by volatility and rather stewed enfin. A touch of botrytis at the back, too?| 84 Coteaux Champenois Blanc Kvevri Notre Dame à but it comes with great vivacity. | 90 aromatics of briary and wild strawberries. The fruit, its sinews protruding rather aggressively; JR | Grayish mid-crimson. This smells raw and Celles-lès-Condé 2019]. A rather industrial nose. Drappier Coteaux Champenois SF | Youthful nose, a little reduced maybe; palate has more weight than expected, held an Otto Dix painting, far from flattering in the a bit fusty. Then uncomfortably sweet on the But technically faultless. Just a bit dull. I think this Rouge de Pinot Noir Permission 85 very steely acidity has a firm grip that, for the in worthy counterpoint to the firm acidity. final analysis. All the more irritating since there palate. But there is some true Pinot Noir flavor would be better with carbon dioxide and a bit of 2018 (ABV NA) foreseeable future, it may be disinclined to Gastronomic, yet without the energy and tension is a clear perception of what the wine might have buried in there… | NS age. Drink 2020–22. | 82 relinquish. | 83 that are the hallmarks of the most accomplished been or may have been. Hard to say! | 87 EA | Purple color. Odd aromas, lactic and JR | Lightly sweet and spicy on the nose. Not pink wine. | 87 JR | Dark ruby. Some Pinot Noir fragrance here. Georges Remy Coteaux Domaine La Borderie Coteaux unfinished. Unpleasant. Sweet dark-cherry fruit generous in terms of fruit ripeness but perfectly JR | Fairly broad, sweet, smooth fruit on the nose. And an impressive spread of ripe red fruits on Champenois Rouge Bouzy Les Champenois Blanc Les Devoix underneath. Well-managed tannins and good 87 well judged and not a copy of a Chardonnay I don’t think it will develop further, but it’s all in the front palate, followed by acidity and tannin Vaudayants [Pinot Noir] 2016 [Chardonnay/Pinot Blanc/Petit 85 structure. Shame about the odd aromatics. | 86 from another region. Clean and fresh, with reasonable balance now, even if it lacks a really that slightly overshadow the fruit. Ambitious (12% ABV) Meslier/Arbane] 2018 SF | Bold, regal ruby, curtain plush from the no sign of decline. Just a bit lightweight. ripe fruity core on the palate. Just a little pinched wine with real life made for the long term. Drink (12% ABV) Victorian Grand. A little amorphous on the nose; Drink 2019–22. | 87 on the end. Drink 2019–21. | 87 2021–26. | 90 EA | Pale ruby color. Elegantly subtle nose, with brooding, slightly aggressive yet unsure of itself. sweet cherry fruit and some undergrowth and EA | Pale lemon-green color. There is an odd On the palate, Gala apples, greengage, and white Drappier Coteaux Champenois Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois Coessens Coteaux Champenois mushroomy evolution. Silky and lively on the lactic toffee tone to the otherwise muted nose. pepper; raw and hard to judge at this stage; a Blanc de Pinot Noir Perpetuité Blanc Les Collinardins Cuvée Rouge Lieu-Dit Largillier juicy, lightweight palate. An elegant style, if Bitterness and harshness on the palate. Not a little foursquare today and hard to discern much 87 87 87 NV (ABV NA) Parcellaire [Chardonnay] 2018 Vendange Entière [Pinot Noir] slightly old-fashioned. Ready to drink. | 88 pleasant whole. | 83 by way of a route to an elegant peroration. | 86 (12% ABV) 2017 (13% ABV) SF | Bright ruby-russet; a hit of evanescent SF | Green with hints of pewter. Aromas bestowed JR | Deep blackish crimson. A light buttery note EA | Blushing color. Overt and fruit-forward nose amber, something a little soupy in the wine’s by low fermentation temperatures; boiled sweets on the nose. Soft fruit without much tannin and with red fruits and ripe peaches. Lots of delicious EA | Pale lemon-green color. Mild, youthful nose EA | Ruby color. A bit stinky, savory on the nose, sluggish disinclination to follow the swirl. Nose and a hint of the Pink Lady. The palate is more surprisingly low acidity. A youthful, unformed fruits but still on the base-winey side. Fresh with lemon-floral fruit with yeasty tones. Lean with lactic tones. Brisk palate, quite tart. | 84 of rosehip, figs, and bilberry jam—so far, so good. interesting; orchard fruits are joined by nectarine wine with plum juice notes and not too much palate with fleshiness and crisp acidity. | 88 and zingy, very base-wine-like with a vanilla SF | Ruby red, bright yet with the hints of a Thereafter, stewed notes come into their own; and mirabelle plum; hints of cinnamon and white charm, but it may develop into something more SF | Bright, straw, with a modest spritz, the touch to the medium-long finish. | 85 crepuscular fade evidenced on closer scrutiny: the palate seems stretched and a little clumsy, pepper, too. This recalls gentle Alsace Pinot Gris; appealing. Drink 2022–26. | 84+ nose a little mute; maybe shrouded in oak at the SF | Modest straw color, gentle spritz; attractive nose, damson, plum, and hints of far from the blue remembered hills of a regal soft, unassuming, but strangely moreish. | 89 moment. The palate is rendered with proficiency: fermentation aromatics; the construction itself menthol. A hint of volatility carries onto the vintage; hollow and a little short—a shame, since JR | Not as interesting and convincing as Les Frères Mignon Coteaux pineapple, soft spice, and hints of verbena and almost overwhelming the personality of the wine; palate. Acetate and varnish thereby slightly there is a faintly raffish appeal here, at least for the [Etienne Calsac Coteaux Champenois Champenois Blanc 85 russet apple. Acidity prominent, but a pleasing pineapple, greengage, and banana, too, rather compromise the edifice. The problem is amplified this faintly raffish taster. | 87 Photogramme 2019] on the nose. There is a [Chardonnay] 2016 (11.5% ABV) concentration of fruit and a spicy kick on the brusque phenolics, and a chronicle of quality by further aeration. So near... | 86 JR | Transparent ruby color. Sweet oaky nose— hint of oak and fruit that doesn’t seem quite ripe finish. | 87 foretold rather than lived through the moment... JR | Deep, healthy-looking garnet color. A pretty reminds me of New World Pinots a decade ago. enough to carry it. Not much vinosity. No follow- EA | Lemon color with a slight haziness. Mildly JR | Very light bronze blush to the straw color. In 12 months’ time it will settle down. Village convincing, complex nose that could signal Not unpleasant but not very sophisticated. A through. Drink 2019–21. | 84 fruity, evolving nose, with yellow apples and fruit Fun! This has grip, acidity, and fruit. It’s pretty rather than cru. | 87 a red Burgundy. Sweet start and virtually no light floral touch and decent fruit-acid balance drops. Lovely volume and a winey quality on the youthful, and I wouldn’t pay a lot for it, but it has JR | Deep straw-gold color. Strong aroma of tannin (but so what?). Good fruit/acid balance. with only light tannin influence. Not hard work at Benoît Déhu Coteaux Champenois palate that finishes with a bitter note. Nicely a fair amount of potential. I’m not sure I can taste baked apples. Real grip on the palate and lightly This is a wine I would happily drink with a meal all in terms of the acid level. Drink 2019–23. | 87 Blanc La Rue des Noyers 85 integrated acidity and a restrained whole but the Pinot in it. Drink 2020–24. | 87 yeasty. Confident wine that is distinctively today. Gently made, which may be the right [Meunier] 2011 (12% ABV) could use some more character. | 88 Champenois in style. Are the tannins from the course. Drink 2020–24. | 90 Gallimard Père & Fils Rosé des SF | Pale with an apply nose; modest spritz, Egly-Ouriet Coteaux Champenois grape skin or oak? I think the former. Good Riceys [Pinot Noir] 2017 86 EA | Deep lemon color. Odd, charred nose, all about something a little hazy maybe. The palate is Rouge Ambonnay Cuvée des current drinking. Lightly toasty on the reasonably Les Frères Mignon Coteaux (12% ABV) gunpowder, roasted coffee beans, and fireplace raw, youthful preserved lemons to the fore, yet 87 Grands Côtés Vieilles Vignes persistent finish. Drink 2020–23. | 90 Champenois Blanc 87 notes. Very interesting, succulent, silky palate but the modest alcohol lends it appeal, which will [Pinot Noir] 2018 (12.5% ABV) [Chardonnay] 2017 (11.5% ABV) EA | Pale ruby red color. Soft strawberry jam, the smoky aromatics are just too much. | 85 harmonize over the next year or so. | 88 Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois lingonberry, and cranberry juice nose. Not much SF | Flaxen straw, bright and with an attractive JR | Deep straw color. Definitely fizzing… Is this EA | Deep purple color. Sweet nose, with violets, Cumières Rouge [Pinot Noir] 87 EA | Bright lemon-green color. Fruit-forward evolution. Juicy fruitiness on the palate that aroma of apple crumble and lemon posset; intended? Hint of butterscotch on the nose. vanilla, and blackberries. Even jammy tones. 2012 (12.5% ABV) appley nose, with cider, hay, and lemon tones. comes with hefty tannins and feisty acidity. welcoming, at least. The welcome party is brief, Fumey finish, without quite enough fruit on the Oak comes across, alongside some unpleasant A touch of oxidation. Seems a little base-wine- Correct but straightforward. | 86 however, because leafy, almost vegetal notes mid-palate. But if it’s meant to be lightly sparkling aromatics. Harder on the palate, structured with EA | Medium-deep ruby color. Farmyardy and like on the nose, but the firm palate comes with SF | Foxy russet color; nose of rosehip syrup, take over, and the finish is strangely metallic, then that’s another matter. Drink 2018–20. | 79 hefty phenolics. A lot of volume there, and it undergrowth development on the sweet cherry nice structure and vinosity. | 86 bilberries, and hearthside. Evolved for a rosé, shards of acidity lingering. | 83 needs time to integrate it all. | 88 and raspberry nose. Losing some fruit on the SF | Soft and modest in virtually every respect; maybe with gastronomic intentions, the shrill JR | Deep coppery straw color. Very edgy nose with Bruno Paillard Vin Blanc des SF | Deep ruby, brick fade at the rim. Attractive palate already and comes with some green apple fruit, a hint of poached pear and yellow acidity shrouding purpose somewhat. An autumnal, some reductive character and lots of smokiness. A Coteaux Champenois Le Mesnil 85 nose, apple crumble and plum pudding, a little capsicum aromas. Still pleasant and savory, with plum, a lick of creamy oak, hardly extravagant; challenging, late piece of work—too late? | 87 love or loathe wine? Lots of development here and [Chardonnay] 2018 (12% ABV) stretched, perhaps. A touch of surmaturité some complexity. A good time to drink it up. | 89 maybe a whisper of coconut. All very discreet, JR | Smells like weedy and slightly jammy Pinot masses of fruit still, but it’s a little sour on the end. maybe, but nothing volatile or overtly “made.” On SF | Good color, holding fast; pleasant aromatic one may surmise. Angular. | 86 Noir. Definite Pinot character—more earthy than Perhaps the right food would distract from this, EA | Bright lemon color. There is some charred the palate, the summer-pudding appeal is in the of rosehip syrup and spruce; the palate has JR | Apple skins on the nose. Quite edgy. Quite sublime. Rather rustic tannins. And fairly tart. because the wine otherwise has lots going for it. complexity to the mild, lemony and appley nose. ascendant. Attractive but maybe a little short, balanced acidity (for a change!), a citric pull, fun! This tastes as though it has had a bit of Drink 2019–21. | 84 Bravo for lasting this long. Drink 2014–20. | 87 A lovely, oily, soothing quality to the texture.

214 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 71 | 2021 THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 71 | 2021 | 215 tasting / savor / Coteaux Champenois Essi Avellan MW EA | Simon Field MW SF | Jancis Robinson MW JR COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS SIMON FIELD MW’S VERDICT JR | Skin-contact nose. But pretty tight and SF | Pale Chablisienne reticence; straw-pale. A nose and quite painfully tart on the palate. The Georges Vesselle Coteaux ungenerous on the palate. I suspect this has seen little sallow maybe; apple fruit, flint, hints of earth, sort of Pinot you might come across in eastern Champenois Rouge Bouzy 81 better days, when the fruit compensated for the the lure of what might have been nostalgic at Europe. It may well have been more convincing This was a fascinating prospect, climate approachable now, but not armored for the Cuvée Véronique-Sylvie [Pinot astringency. It’s too old now. But it was probably the back of the palate, but what we have is quite earlier in its life. Drink 2013–17. | 79 change and a series of ripe and relatively longer term. Of the big guns, Egly-Ouriet’s Noir] NV (11.5% ABV) pretty nice a year or two ago. Drink 2017–19. | 84 good enough: a mealy, leesy foundation providing straightforward vintages providing a bedrock Grand Cru from Ambonnay had plenty of ballast and points of interest, acidity, needless to EA | Pale ruby. Evolving nose with tar and of security to challenge those idées reçues that charm, and I also liked Geoffroy’s Cumières Georges Remy Coteaux Alexandre Bonnet Coteaux say, taut and poised. Nice clean finish, even a hint Champenois Rouge Bouzy mushrooms over dark cherries and strawberry. linger too long on memories of lean, grassy Rouge. The wine that turned out to be 82 Champenois Rouge Les Riceys of papaya somewhere. | 88 Le Chapeau de Fer [Pinot Noir] There is an interesting savory quality to it. Rather wines; cadaverous, mean-spirited wines; thin Bollinger’s La Côte aux Enfants, from 2015, 84 JR | Deep gold. Light, savory Chardonnay aroma soft and silky, with well-balanced acidity. | 88 and rather prickly wines, possibly in both seemed to be tired, surprisingly so. I have La Forêt [Pinot Noir] 2018 2014 (12% ABV) with a slight sour-beer edge. Pretty stiff acidity SF | Soft ruby red, with a pale rim. Nose seems senses… A radical reappraisal then? Eureka tasted far better from this famous site. (12.5% ABV) and a lack of fruit. Hard work. Astringent finish. EA | Medium-deep ruby. Pronounced nose with a a little muffled, red fruit conspicuous mostly by moments were few from the gentle ladies in The whites were generally (inevitably) EA | Deep purple color. Youthful, dark-berry Like my memories of Coteaux Champenois of slight lift to it. Animally evolution and pepperminty its absence; heady and rather strained, stewed their secure tasting booths adjacent; nor from monochrome. Where notes took one down nose, with soft spiciness, plums, and violets. old. It’s possible it will round out with age, but my herbaceous notes. Rather farmyardy already. perhaps; the impression bemoans what is lacking your correspondent, alas. into pools of oyster shell and flint, one longed Pronouncedly tannic on the high-acid palate. score is for how it tastes now. Drink 2021–23. | 76 Age-mellowed soft palate, with withering rather than what is there... | 83 When only four wines score at 90 or for the integrity of an unoaked Chablis, even a Needs time to soften. | 85 fruitiness. Grippy tannins toward the finish. JR | Mid-blackish ruby color. Not much personality above (the top two scoring 91) and only ten Petit Chablis; and where the wines were riper SF | Deep ruby, youthful, near-opaque core; Already past its peak. | 88 on the nose—just red wine? Pretty tart and (20 percent of the total) at 89 or above, it and more exotic, there was often a sense of François Secondé Coteaux impressive nose of dark cherry, chocolate, and Champenois Rouge Sillery SF | Russet at the rim, brick and blood at the core; fruitless. Not 100 percent clean. Drink 2016–18. | 72 has clearly not been an especially impressive something a little bit forced or forged. The real 83 fruits of the forest; a little spice, too. The palate then a worryingly artificial aroma, burned plastic tasting. Some attractive reds (the reds fared signature of Champagne is writ large in the [Pinot Noir/Chardonnay] NV is precocious, strained stalky fruit held in check, maybe, with a dash of black pepper; the palate better than whites for me), the best examples evanescence of its bubbles. But we knew that (12% ABV) J Lassalle Coteaux Champenois to a degree, by the relative ripeness of the fruit; releases a legion of ur-faults, desiccation and (Tarlant Grand Picou 2018 and Coessens already. Most of these wines were made with Rouge Chigny-les-Roses [Pinot 80 chalky quite drying tannins hold the ensemble in EA | Youthful purple color. The dark and red antiquity key to their thankless exposition. | 70 Largillier Vendange Égrappée 2017) not competence and application, but few were Noir] 2014 (ABV NA) check. This one could go either way. For better berry is freshly fruity with little aging complexity. JR | Quite an intense ruby hue. Sweet violets strained too hard, with pretty and elegant fruit genuinely inspiring. or for worse, it shows every sign of betraying Attractive cherry fruit. On the palate, it is soft and on the nose. Plus a bit of that buttery quality. EA | Pale ruby color. Spicy nose with allspice and exemplary typicity. | 88 savory, with cherry essence character surfacing Lacks a little freshness on the palate, which aromatic wood supporting the cherry fruitiness. TOP WINES JR | Blackish crimson though not deep at the rim. toward the drying finish. | 86 also has an unexpected minty nose. Buttermints? On the tertiary side already. Low on fruit on the Rather raw nose. Lots of acidity. Uncharming. SF | Ruby red, softer at the rim; prominent legs Not unpleasant, though not exactly classical. palate, which is silky but tart. | 87 Tarlant Coteaux Champenois Rouge Grand Picou Domaine La Borderie Coteaux Champenois Blanc Overextracted? Sour finish. Drink 2022–24. | 79 on the side of the glass. Aromas of slightly unripe Quite long. Drink 2019–24. | 87 SF | Evolved color, vermillion long since faded: à St-Agnan 2018 91 Les Devoix 2018 89 strawberry, rhubarb, and a whisper of nutmeg. brickwork that seldom gets a clean. Industrial Coessens Coteaux Champenois Rouge Lieu-Dit Alexandre Salmon Coteaux Champenois Rouge Collet Coteaux Champenois The palate confirms a method along the lines of Alexandre Salmon Coteaux aromatics recall cleaning fluid and spruce, more Largillier Vendange Égrappée 2017 91 Les Grèves 2016 89 Rouge Aÿ 2015 [Pinot Noir] 83 carbonic maceration; simple compote fruit and a Champenois Rouge Les Grèves 82 of the latter to be fair. Far from attractive, for all Etienne Calsac Coteaux Champenois Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois Blanc (11.5% ABV) paucity of inspiration when it comes to depth and 2016 (11.5% ABV) that. The burn of the acidity is acrid and the fruit Photogramme 2019 90 Montgueux [2017] 88 concentration. | 84 has long since departed this stage. | 80 EA | Pale ruby color. Some pungency and VA JR | Smells of rope—quite interesting! Then EA | Pale ruby color. Sweet, evolving, red-cherry JR | Medium-intensity ruby. Smells as though Domaine La Borderie Coteaux Champenois Rouge Doyard Coteaux Champenois Blanc Les Devoix 2018 90 Vertus En Vieux Fombres 2015 88 lift to the nose that comes with cranberry fruit. certainly fruit on the palate, but it’s of the raw nose, with cherry-candy tones. A little tart on the there is some bacterial fault here. Fizzing on the Fine, smooth texture and mellow tannins on the rhubarb sort. Bone-dry + acidity = hard work lightweight palate, which has fine-grained tannins. tongue. Uncomfortably sour. Drink 2016–18. | 72 Charles Heidsieck Coteaux Champenois Blanc Alexandre Bonnet Rosé des Riceys palate, which is dominated by the acidity. | 85 on the part of the drinker. Perhaps it will improve There is lovely savory spiciness to the whole. | 86 Vertus [2017] 89 La Forêt 2017 88 SF | Ruby amber, rather mute of color; nose of and round out? Drink 2022–24. | 79 SF | Gentle evolution, crimson to Victorian brick; Tarlant Coteaux Champenois Drappier Coteaux Champenois Trop m’en faut! Les Frères Mignon Coteaux Champenois Blanc late-picked apples, leaves and the hearthside; soft at the rim; an attractive nose of hedgerow Rouge Kvevri Les Echaudées à 80 NV 89 2016 88 the palate is tiring quite quickly, the acidity most Cristian Senez Coteaux and wild strawberry, fig, loganberry, and a hint of Celles-lès-Condé [Pinot Noir] Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois Rouge Alexandre Bonnet Coteaux Champenois Rouge prominent and the fruit long since desiccated. | 83 Champenois Rouge Réserve 83 incense. The palate is pleasantly evolved, sweet 2019 (12% ABV) Cumières 2015 89 Les Riceys La Forêt 2018 88 JR | Grayish mid-garnet color. Cheesy nose. Sweet, [Pinot Noir] NV (12% ABV) plum and red-berried fruit hints of soft spice and simple fruity palate. A collection of elements caramel, and then a wonderfully silky cloak of EA | Purple. Savory nose, with black pepper and Egly-Ouriet Coteaux Champenois Rouge François Secondé Coteaux Champenois Blanc rather than a delicious whole. I can’t see it ever EA | Deeper purple color. Richly and sweetly fruity, unchallengingly resolved tannins. Poised on the allspice lining the dark-cherry and blueberry fruit. Ambonnay Cuvée des Grands Côtés Sillery NV 88 Vieilles Vignes 2018 89 coming together gloriously. Drink 2018–22. | 82 with cassis and dark cherries. Rather youthful. finish, steady as she goes.| 89 Tannic palate with high acidity. Needs time. | 85 Soft, silky palate, with good volume and clean JR | Blackish ruby color. Very strange nose indeed! SF | Vermillion, bright and lively. The nose, for all Geoffroy Coteaux Champenois fruitiness. Very correct wine, with a warm feel There is something distinctly non-winey about that, is somewhat anonymous: peat and raspberry There is some volume to the fresh and correct raspberry, and myrtle; behind that, smoke and a Rouge Cumières [Meunier] 83 to it. | 88 the aroma here. Raw, astringent finish and a hole maybe, Everton mints and soggy fireworks. The palate. Juicy and long. | 87 hint of white pepper. This promise is somewhat 2015 (12.5% ABV) SF | Ruby red, with an attractive nose of summer on the mid-palate. Drink 2018–20. | 72 palate is stalky: black tea and stems pervade; fruit SF | Pale straw with a watery rim; an attractive compromised on the palate, which evokes pudding, forest floor, and mirabelle plum; come- will have to wait its turn, by which time it may well nose of tarte tatin, gooseberry fool, even soft soap stone and mace, the fruit undermined for EA | Pale ruby. Odd floral notes to the nose, which hither appeal, maybe lacking a cerebral twist. Tarlant Coteaux Champenois be too late... Stark acidity is—to use the modish chalk. Nuanced, for sure, but appealing. The whatever reason, the acidity less so, the ensemble has a dirty chalk whiff to it. Not really pleasant. Palate has red berries, soapstone, a hint of Blanc Kvevri Notre Dame à 82 phrase—the takeaway here. | 83 palate revisits this carapace of modesty and rough-edged and unforgiving as a result. | 86 Very tart on the hard palate. Misses charm. | 82 white pepper and scrub. Short-termism writ Celles-lès-Condé [Chardonnay] JR | Purplish crimson color. Unsubtle oak on the does not appear inclined to offer much by way JR | Dark crimson with some evolution at the rim. SF | Ruby to brick, a slightly mentholated nose; large, a touch hollow at the core. | 86 2019 (12% ABV) nose. Almost painfully tart. Notably astringent. of additional complexity. | 87 Sour plum nose, but there is fruit here, even if it’s bonfires and spruce, not unattractive per se. JR | Raw, unsubtle nose and a distinct lack of fruit. Unpleasantly raw fruit. And is there something JR | Sweet, spicy oak nose rather dominates the a bit challenging. Rather dull and lifeless on the This promise is undermined somewhat by the Drink 2018–20. | 74 EA | A peachy tone to the slightly hazy looks. bacterial going on here? Drink 2022–24. | 72 fruit, which struggles on the palate to make its palate—a bit too old? There has been a fair amount stalky, sinewy palate. The fruit has lacked the Sweet, straightforward, appley nose. Some presence felt. Sour finish. Not a great success, of extraction here. A bit sour. Drink 2017–19. | 79 concentration and vigor to last the course; the Georges Vesselle Coteaux Muscat-like grapey tones. Orange-wine type? Jacques Defrance Rosé des in its current form anyway. Watery finish. Drink shell that remains has its own slightly perverse Champenois Rouge Bouzy 83 Very tight palate, with biting phenolics. Misses Riceys 2010 [Pinot Noir] 76 2020–22. | 82 J de Telmont Coteaux appeal, but the massage is ultimately hollow... | 85 [Pinot Noir] 2009 (11.5% ABV) both charm and nuances. | 82 (12.5% ABV) Champenois Blanc Insolite 85 JR | Dark ruby color but not that intense. Sweet, SF | Somewhat miasmic and cloudy, no recourse Philipponnat Coteaux [Chardonnay] 2015 (12% ABV) rather simple nose. This tastes like red wine EA | Pale ruby color. Some undergrowth and to the excuse of red grapes to darken the tableau. EA | Evolving ruby color with amber hues. Champenois Rouge Mareuil 85 rather than anything more subtle or rewarding. mushroomy evolution on the nose. A little weak, Raw, unfermented aromatic, struggling to find Oxidized aromas on the nose. (First bottle was [Pinot Noir] 2015 (12% ABV) EA | Glossy lemon color. Interesting, developing Raw finish. Drink 2017–19. | 82 with muted fruitiness on the nose. The palate has focus let alone definition; resinous. The mood corked.) Feels very old. Little fruit left. Faulty. | 70 nose, with fine toasty tones and a hazelnutty lost some fruit, too, leaving accentuated tannins music does not shift in register thereafter. | 75 SF | Tawny, rather thin—oxidized, alas. | 70 EA | Deep ruby. Complex, earthy-spicy, evolving complexity. Distinctly Burgundian, with cool, François Secondé Coteaux and acidity to take over. Past its peak but hanging JR | Pale orange and slightly cloudy—skin contact? JR | Some ruby in the hue, not to say orange. nose. Dark blueberry and blackberry fruit with crunchy fruit and a whiff of gunpowder. Oily, Champenois Blanc Sillery [Pinot 83 in there. | 87 Funky, not unpleasant, nose. Definite deliberate Amazing that this is still around, but it’s not vanilla, bell pepper, and allspice. Savory on the fresh palate, with very good fruity length. A very Noir/Chardonnay] NV (12% ABV) SF | Russet fade, a watery rim; evolved, gamey tannin of the skin-contact sort but quite fun—so decrepit even if there is evident evolution. It’s rich, velvety palate, with a tannic bite toward the smart whole. | 91 nose; tertiary notes to the fore, delicate. Less so long as you drink it with food. Very outré, but actually pretty charming if, and only if, you like old end. Lots of character and a satisfying fullness. SF | Reduction on the nose; a slightly vegetal EA | Pale lemon. Muted nose, with neutral apple, on the palate, which is stewed and foursquare, all Champagne needs to add wines like this to wine. There is still some fruit, and it’s well balanced Ready, but will develop further nuances. | 90 meaty note does not improve on the palate; wood, and hay aromas. Youthful. Round, oily- intimations of the complexity of evolution dashed the mix. Appetizing, with some cooking-apple with the acid and light tannin. Old rose petals? A SF | Ruby vermillion, color holding well. Nose brutally raw phenolics hold sway here and look textured mouthfeel, with the oak coming out. on the rocks of austerity. | 84 notes, but there is fruit here and no shortage of hint of the flavors of those old aromas I tasted in still primary, dark fruit to the fore: black cherry, set to continue doing so. | 79 Still seems a bit unfinished and base-winey. | 85 JR | Transparent garnet color. Not that pure on the “intention”. Drink 2020–24. | 90 the wine museum in Russia! Drink 2014–21. | 87

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