Roland ChampionChouilly, Côte des Blancs

Producer profile
PL no mention. TyS 6/10 and a short profile with only two cuvées reviewed. 18 hectares include 70% chardonnay in Chouilly. Most of the production is sold to négociants. Stainless steel tanks, full malo, and "reliable" technological corks. "The family has skillfully tamed the muscular nature of Chouilly in a characterful set of sensitively styled cuvées." ToS no mention. 80% of the domaine's sales are within France.

Tasting notes

Special Club 2012. 100% chardonnay. Fully composite cork. A whiff of the cellar or cask at the start. Then pronounced and welcome buckwheat. This wine carries its own signature and is pleasantly dosed. It has a familiar satisfying and thirst-quenching quality but instead of the spring water I usually associate with this effect, here I'm imagining the dark freshness of a water well with a blooming Russian padus racemosa nearby. The only small gripe is that the mousse is a touch prickly. Purchased at Hazel's in autumn 2020 for $75. ⭐⭐⭐