Vincent Charlet Champagne Grower Vignoble de Mardeuil Extra Brut · Champagne, France
Producer Description
Charlot: single-vintage and grapes coming from two plots only, the 2 “biggest” ones that Vincent has.
Grapes: around 55% Pinot Meunier, the remaining 45% consist of a roughly equal proportion of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Certified organic and biodynamic.
Vineyard: blend of “La Genette” (0.55 ha) and “La Chapotte” (0.55 ha). Both certified biodynamic and located in Mardeuil. Clay-limestone, clay, flint, chalk.
Making of: The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and gently pressed, then ferment spontaneously in neutral barrels. No malolactic fermentation, the wine rests in barrels for about 9-11 months. Bottled with liqueur de tirage and aged on lees for 42 months for the secondary fermentation (prise de mousse), disgorged, and topped up using the same wine, with a dosage of 4g/l (extra brut).
Champagne Vincent Charlot, aka Charlot Tanneux, Vincent went to Winemaking School in Alsace in the early 1990s, then he took over the Family Vineyards and started his journey of Organic Grower Champagne. 4.4 hectares vineyard, spread over 39 different plots in 6 villages. Each parcel is vinified separately in order to showcase its terroir uniqueness. These plots are all cultivated in organic and biodynamics, Demeter certified, organic grower.
Personality
This wine has everything! There’s saffron, flowers, delicate spice touch (nutmeg and white pepper), light brioche, sweet wood, almonds, wonderful roundness held by acidic grip… layers just keep on coming, you’ll have fun swimming in them.
The House
Vincent Charlot farms 4.4 hectares (~11 acres) spread over 39 different plots and 6 villages (Mardeuil, Vauciennes, Epernay, Moussy, Pierry 1er Cru, Ay Grand Cru), estate-owned, with very diverse soils: chalk, clay, silex (flint), sand, limestone. Main varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, plus ancient ones like Arbanne and Petit Meslier. Certified organic (Ecocert) and biodynamic (Demeter) since 2013, with annual production of approximately 30,000 bottles, all single vintage.
Each parcel is vinified separately in order to showcase its uniqueness. Spontaneous fermentation in amphoras and seasoned barrels; the wines are left to go through malolactic fermentation as they choose (mostly not). Secondary fermentation in bottles with concentrated grape must, long aging on lees. Little to no SO2 at press, very low dosages (around 4g/l, Extra Brut).
“When I drink wine, I want to taste its terroir – this is what I’m in it for. I want to see the personality of the place where it was born, I want to be moved, to create emotion,” Vincent Charlot explains.
Details
- Bottle Size: 750ml
- Region: Mardeuil, Champagne, France
- Grapes: Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
- Type: Sparkling
- Style: Extra Brut
- Farming: Organic, Biodynamic
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