“Les Hauts Partas”, Chouilly Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Extra Brut

In 2013, the Coulon family acquired their first parcel of grand cru: 0.22 hectares of 1976-planted Chardonnay in the Les Hauts Partas vineyard in the esteemed village of Chouilly, located in the northern sector of the Côte des Blancs immediately east of Épernay. The debut-vintage 2014 underwent spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, and spent a full year aging in used barrels before being bottled for secondary fermentation; it was disgorged with a scant two grams per liter of dosage in November 2019, after four years on the lees. Offering a combination of the plush power often associated with Chouilly and the stark clarity of fruit that is a house signature here, “Les Hauts Partas” presents a deep, clear, and gorgeous nose with a touch of gunflint underlying notes of fresh cream. Its palate is ringing and dynamic, with salt-sprinkled small-berried red fruits clinging to the palate for dear life and prompting salivation.