Domaine de Bichery Coteaux Champenois Rouge 2023
Domaine de Bichery Coteaux Champenois Rouge 2023 – alternate view 2
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Domaine de Bichery Coteaux Champenois Rouge 2023

Domaine de Bichery
$105.00

Grape: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2023
Type: Red

This limited still red wine is crafted by Raphaël Piconnet from organic estate plots in the Côte des Bars region of Champagne. Sourced primarily from the En Val Ligé parcel, the fruit grows on Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils farmed under certified Ecocert guidelines. The hand-harvested pinot noir undergoes a low-intervention spontaneous fermentation with native wild yeasts in neutral wooden vessels. It matures in seasoned oak barrels and is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without any added sulfites.

It pours a translucent ruby color, opening with high-toned floral aromas, wild strawberries, and red cherries over a savory background. On the palate, the light-to-medium body is fluid and balancing crunchy red fruit with a fine-grained tannin grip. Savory nuances of forest floor and white pepper add depth across the fluid mouthfeel. A central beam of central acidity cuts right through the volume, keeping the palate refreshed.

Winery

Domaine de Bichery is the project of Raphaël and Hannah Piconnet in Neuville-sur-Seine, in Champagne’s southern Côte des Bar. Raphaël grew up among family vineyards whose grapes had long been sold to a cooperative. After studying in Burgundy and Switzerland and gaining experience elsewhere, he returned with Hannah to farm and bottle their own wines. Their first Champagne vintage was 2015, alongside the conversion of their vineyards to organic agriculture. Family planting material and the individual hillside parcels remain important parts of the domaine’s identity.

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay form the basis of the range. La Source offers the starting point, while Les Fontaines explores rosé and its relationship to a particular parcel. Fermentation and maturation use both barrels and stainless steel, chosen according to the wine. In favorable years, the couple also makes red and white Coteaux Champenois with longer barrel aging. That still-wine work reinforces the project’s focus on the vineyards themselves: the bubbles are one expression of the land, rather than the entire story.