As we approach the end of the year, we thought it would be fun to have a look back at some of our standout wines of the last 12 months. This may be first tastes but also wines revisted after some years, after all; wine is forever changing so these are often akin to first tastes.
Corbon: Brut d'Autrefois
This was the last bottle of the batch purchased during our first visit to Agnès corbon in 2013. It has always been a robust and delicious wine, a blend of Chardonnay from Avize and Pinot Noir. We have played around with this wine before, decanting, large format glasses, ordinary tulip glasses and tried another large format glass on this occasion. Dare we say that this was the best the wine has ever tasted, somehow elevated to new heights. It was evident that the wine is now in its prime and it is always a delight to drink a wine when it has attained its perfect drinking age. Simply glorious.
Esterlin: Brut Nature 2009
Esterlin are a cooperative boasting 116 hectres across 52 villages and as such is not our normal target domaine. However, their Avenue de Champagne base was directly next door to Le 25bis by Leclerc Briant where we were staying. Over 70% of the vineyards are certified ‘VDC’ (Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne) and/or ‘HVE’ (Hight Environmental Value), and 5 hectares are currently certified organic or in conversion. Esterlin exploits and manages 12 hectares of vineyard, of which 7.5 ha are owned, fully certified in sustainable viticulture.
We were impressed that the cooperative prefer long aging which sadly seems to becoming less popular in the market today. The Brut Nature 2009 is without malolactic fermentation, a blend of 42% Chardonnay, 38% Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir, disgorged without dosage in February 2023. Whilst this wine perhaps misses out on the intricacies of a more singular driven wine, it is nonetheless packed with primary fruit and tertiary notes and was an absolute joy. Well-worth seeking out.
Charlot-Tanneux: Cuvée Nicolas
We were lucky to source this wine in 2022 ahead of a personal 50th anniversary this year. 1974 is generally regarded in the wine World to have been a pretty terrible year. This wine proved that small domaines were still able to craft incredible wines. Dominated by beautiful tertiary aromas, there was still an abundnace of primary fruit leaving us aghast at the freshness and longevity of this remarkable champagne. An added bonus, it came in 80cl as was often the case at the time!
A. Bergère: Les Clos 2020
We first tasted A. Bergère around 13 or 14 years ago when we began visiting the chambres d'hôtes in Épernay. At the time, we felt their wines were not quite at the standard of the top quality smaller domaines we were buying from. We thought it was high time to revisit the domaine in the glorious October sunshine this year. We tasted a number of the current cuvées and were hugely impressed. Les Clos 2020 is a lieu-dit from the domaine's home village of Fèrebrianges in the Vallée du petit Morin. Consisting entirely of meunier, vinification was a combination of 228l fûts de chêne (45%) and stainles steel, dosage is 2gl. A beautiful and vibrant wine and another fine example of the utter delights of Meunier.
Marie-Noëlle Ledru: Cuvée du Goulté 2015
Since Marie-Noëlle's retirement some years ago, this glorious wine is becoming harder and harder to source. luckily, there is the odd establishment that still holds some stock and it is one of those wines we can never pass-up the opportunity of ordering. 100% Ambonnay Pinot Noir it is a powerhouse but also poised. Pure decadence.
Pierre Péters: Reserve Oubliée
A favourites list of ours would not be complete without a perpetual reserve and this option is an absolute stunner! 100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru plots on the Côte des Blancs, it is born from 15 vintages back to 1988.
The other ones:
A list of other wines that we adored in 2024...
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