2014 Marie Courtin, Resonance, Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne, Sparkling Wine, France.
The vital and elegantly lifted Courtin Extra Brut Resonance is a 100% Pinot Noir Blanc de Noirs that was fermented and lees aged in stainless steel with no dosage which gives this beautiful Champagne an intense and structured feel and crisp restrained nature, making it wonderfully pure and deliciously entertaining. Dominique Moreau, winemaker/cellar master at Champagne Marie Courtin, is crafting all biodynamic/organic grower fizz from a single vineyard in the Cote de Bars zone of the southern most part of the region, not too far away Chablis, set on the same Kimmeridgian (limestone) soils using a massale selection of old vine grapes that were planted in the 1970s. This warmer area allows for ripe fruit, light or non dosage and add to the textural pleasures of these sparkling wines made by Moreau, and while the domaine is rather new with the first release coming in 2005 this tiny estate is already highly regarded and sought after, with her offerings joining the likes of Mousse, Cedric Bouchard and Jerome Prevost as a rising star(s) in region doing an extremely dry racy style of mineral driven and terroir bubbly. Glorious with food, in particular briny oysters, seafood, caviar and or creamy cheeses like Epoisses! Briskly focused the 2014 Resonance has tight layers of citrusy fruits with lemon/lime, white peach/cherry, chalky details, steely mineral notes and with a vibrant mousse along with a slow reveal of richness and leesy nutty brioche. This very exciting stuff, more delicate than overt, with good acidity keeps things laser sharp and brilliantly vivid on the zesty palate, if you like more opulent/fleshy or generous Champagnes this might be a shock to your system, but there is no denying it’s class and quality, it’s a style I find thrilling and this Marie Courtin is one of my favorites.
($57 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive