Chartogne-TailletMerfy, Montagne de Reims
Producer profile
PL grower-producer "placing increasing emphasis on single-vineyard and single-cru champagnes." "One of the most exciting producers in Champagne today," Alexandre Chartogne took over his family's Merfy estate when he was only twenty-three years old. Today Chartogne makes "some of the most expressive wines to be found anywhere in Champagne." The popular NV Cuvée Sainte-Anne is "bright and racy". The NV Rosé is "elegantly fruity". "The highlight of the estate is the series of single-vineyard champagnes that illustrate various terroirs in the village." "The vineyards of Merfy lie on deep soils composed of various sands and clays, and since 2006, Chartogne has created a series of single-vineyard champagnes that express the identities of individual parcels. In Les Barres, the bedrock of chalk lies below more than 5ft of calcareous sand, allowing Chartogne to maintain a parcel of ungrafted meunier vines planted in 1952. These create a champagne unlike any other, showing a resonant, multifaceted depth of fruit infused by a savory, scallop-shell minerality. The adjacent vineyard of Orizeaux, historically used in the family's best cuvées, features broken limestone over thick sands, producing vibrant, complex wines from pinot noir vines planted in 1961. Heurtebise, just west of Les Barres, has sandy topsoils over layers of clay, sandstone and tufa (a type of limestone), creating chardonnay of generous depth and racy structure. Bordering Heurtebise to the north, Les Couarres and Couarres Château produce markedly different wines. Les Couarres is planted with both pinot noir and chardonnay on a deep layer of calcareous sand over clay, producing a deeply toned, complex and full-bodied wine with subtlety and finesse. Couarres Château's pinot noir vines grow on shallower sandy soils over tufa, creating a lively, brisk champagne with vivid red-fruit flavor and saline minerality that contrasts the deep, brooding pinot noir of Orizeaux. The same relationship exists with Les Alliées, a grafted meunier on an unusual black sand, and Les Barres, with the former showing a bright, exuberantly fruity fragrance." "Alexandre Chartogne often puts the same wine in both concrete eggs and oak barrels to compare the two." Member of Terres et Vins de Champagne. ToS no mention. TyS 89 "value". "The very kind and sage-beyond-his-age Alexandre Chartogne" belongs to the "new generation of dynamic, terroir-driven winemakers." Alexandre "acquired his knowledge from the legendary Avize-based Anselme Selosse." "Sustainable viticulture and the concentrated yield of old vines are key elements to the rich, strong style of Chartogne-Taillet. Its whole repertoire is first-rate." TT 2019 Champagne catalog page 233 and 2017 catalog page 43.
PL grower-producer "placing increasing emphasis on single-vineyard and single-cru champagnes." "One of the most exciting producers in Champagne today," Alexandre Chartogne took over his family's Merfy estate when he was only twenty-three years old. Today Chartogne makes "some of the most expressive wines to be found anywhere in Champagne." The popular NV Cuvée Sainte-Anne is "bright and racy". The NV Rosé is "elegantly fruity". "The highlight of the estate is the series of single-vineyard champagnes that illustrate various terroirs in the village." "The vineyards of Merfy lie on deep soils composed of various sands and clays, and since 2006, Chartogne has created a series of single-vineyard champagnes that express the identities of individual parcels. In Les Barres, the bedrock of chalk lies below more than 5ft of calcareous sand, allowing Chartogne to maintain a parcel of ungrafted meunier vines planted in 1952. These create a champagne unlike any other, showing a resonant, multifaceted depth of fruit infused by a savory, scallop-shell minerality. The adjacent vineyard of Orizeaux, historically used in the family's best cuvées, features broken limestone over thick sands, producing vibrant, complex wines from pinot noir vines planted in 1961. Heurtebise, just west of Les Barres, has sandy topsoils over layers of clay, sandstone and tufa (a type of limestone), creating chardonnay of generous depth and racy structure. Bordering Heurtebise to the north, Les Couarres and Couarres Château produce markedly different wines. Les Couarres is planted with both pinot noir and chardonnay on a deep layer of calcareous sand over clay, producing a deeply toned, complex and full-bodied wine with subtlety and finesse. Couarres Château's pinot noir vines grow on shallower sandy soils over tufa, creating a lively, brisk champagne with vivid red-fruit flavor and saline minerality that contrasts the deep, brooding pinot noir of Orizeaux. The same relationship exists with Les Alliées, a grafted meunier on an unusual black sand, and Les Barres, with the former showing a bright, exuberantly fruity fragrance." "Alexandre Chartogne often puts the same wine in both concrete eggs and oak barrels to compare the two." Member of Terres et Vins de Champagne. ToS no mention. TyS 89 "value". "The very kind and sage-beyond-his-age Alexandre Chartogne" belongs to the "new generation of dynamic, terroir-driven winemakers." Alexandre "acquired his knowledge from the legendary Avize-based Anselme Selosse." "Sustainable viticulture and the concentrated yield of old vines are key elements to the rich, strong style of Chartogne-Taillet. Its whole repertoire is first-rate." TT 2019 Champagne catalog page 233 and 2017 catalog page 43.
Tasting notes
Couarres Château 2012. Possibly the best-looking label in Champagne and fantastically detailed back. 100% pinot noir from vines planted in 1987. Dosage 4.5g. Disgorged in June 2017. A Terry Theise Estate Selection. TT 2017 Champagne catalog page 45. Fresh forceful cork. This has a distinctive smell, something umami, something in the vicinity of soya, and also zesty. It's quite dry but fun, sterling. As it warms it turns sweeter and fragrantly bitter with loads of dark-toned toastiness, gorgeous. Exciting with food, changeable, vocal, engaging. In Zalto Burgundy glass the bubbles shoot up and rest on the surface in beaded threads like comet tails. Purchased at Marty's in autumn 2020 for $90. ⭐⭐⭐
Les Alliées 2013. 100% meunier. Bottled in July 2014 and disgorged in June 2018. Extra Brut. TT selection but not mentioned in his catalog. Detailed back. Two lines of all caps red font on the label is a bit much. Sweet nose like salty caramel but with a touch of soap. Bright acidity with salinity, faint metallic sensation, and notes of apricot pit, apple seed, and crab apple. Shows sweeter from Zalto Burgundy compared to Gabriel Glas. Apple skin association returns on the second night. Purchased at Marty's in autumn 2020 for $100. ⭐⭐
Sainte Anne. Harvest 2016. Chardonnay, pinot noir, and meunier. Bottled in July 2017 and disgorged in May 2019. 5g dosage. Amply, persistently ebullient with a classic champagne aroma. Associations with elastic whole wheat sourdough crumb. Finishes with lovely sherry notes. Generous, open-armed, pedigreed champagne. TT 2019 Champagne catalog page 234 (compare with 2017). Purchased at Molly's in autumn 2020 for $47. ⭐⭐⭐
Les Barres. Harvest 2015. 100% pinot noir (not meunier) vinified in oak barrels. Bottled in July 2016 and disgorged in June 2019. 4-5g dosage. Fat cork with a perfectly circular base. Ample scent on the sweeter side like poached apples or grape compote, maybe even cookie. Dry and transparent flavor at first, unsweet and quite clear. Then there's elegant oak, clean and creamy. This is a beautiful wine and it's different. Wonderful caramelization emerges with time. Registers sweeter and with more oak the second day. Purchased at Hazel's in autumn 2020 for $80. ⭐⭐
Brut 1999. Disgorged in July 2006. Energetic, grown-up, gorgeous wine. Purchased at Catherine's in spring 2021 for $70. ⭐⭐⭐
All photos and tasting notes are by @gaiwanstyle
Producer profiles and wine details are from books by Peter Liem (PL), Tyson Stelzer (TyS), Tom Stevenson (ToS), and Terry Theise (TT)
Producer profiles and wine details are from books by Peter Liem (PL), Tyson Stelzer (TyS), Tom Stevenson (ToS), and Terry Theise (TT)