SavartEcueil, Montagne de Reims

Producer profile
PL Frédéric Savart took over the family estate in 2005, farming 4 hectares of primarily pinot noir vines in Écueil and some in the neighboring village. Écueil is "something of an anomaly" in the Petite Montagne because its soils are more suitable for pinot noir than meunier: "here we have clay, limestone, and chalk, like Burgundy." All parcels receive organic treatments. "Most of the wines are vinified in stainless steel, although he is increasingly fermenting more wines in barrel. Savart's champagnes are opulent and richly textured: the nonvintage L'Ouverture is pure pinot noir from Écueil, and it's a bold, mouth-filling wine; L'Accomplie, a premium blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, is more structured and detailed. His vintage brut, called L'Année, is a complex, soil-driven blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, vinified entirely in barrel without malolactic fermentation. In contrast, the vintage-dated Expression is a concentrated, highly structured brut nature, made from pinot noir vines in Écueil that are all more than sixty years old; a small percentage of red wine is added to create the Expression Rosé. Le Mont des Chrétiens is a pure chardonnay from the vineyard of the same name. Made in 600-liter oak barrels, it's ample in body yet constrained within a taut and vibrant frame, underlined by savory, stony minerality." Member of Les Artisans du Champagne. TyS no mention. ToS 83 "some of the cuvées are too oaky."

Tasting notes

Bulle de Rosé. 70% pinot noir, 22% chardonnay, 8% red pinot noir. Disgorged in April 2020, dosage 6g. Prettiest hue, more sunrise than sunset, and with a kind of luminous delicacy of a still wet watercolor. Lovely mousse. Deep, darkly alluring aroma. This tastes dry and ripe at the same time. Ample, generous, even mustachioed flavor without a trace of cloying sweetness. I prefer this rosé profile to the slightly sweeter Georges Laval and Pierre Péters rosés. Watermelon note from Zalto Burgundy glass and later - pillowy sourdough pancakes. This cuvée is hard to find. I first enjoyed it several years ago and have been looking for it since. Purchased at Mondo Vino in autumn 2020 for $94. ⭐⭐⭐

Le Mont des Chrétiens 2015. 100% chardonnay. Disgorged in September 2019. Sticky and loud fat cork. Thick mousse like softly beaten egg white or seafoam. Clean, vinous smell with somewhat forward oak. Not sweet but not raspy either. Clear, lean, and with a transparent finish bringing to mind a similar transparent effect in carambola. There is a definite sweet pastry nuance in the flavor, which is sort of surprising in this relatively young and sporty wine. There's a curious new association, too: baked carrot. With time in the glass the wine turns sweeter but never becomes cushy. Keeps you on your toes. I'd like to try it with a little more dosage. Purchased at Mondo Vino in autumn 2020 for $89. ⭐