Chartogne-Taillet Les Couarres Extra Brut 2018

Grape: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2018
Type: Sparkling

This single-vineyard Champagne is crafted by Alexandre Chartogne as a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir from Les Couarres in Merfy. The vines grow in clay-rich topsoils over a limestone baseline, which limits vigor and provides distinct structural weight. Winemaking utilizes low-intervention protocols, featuring spontaneous fermentation driven by native wild yeasts in neutral oak barrels. Aged on fine lees before a low-dosage disgorgement, this bottling preserves an authentic site identity.

It pours a pale straw-yellow color, releasing clear aromatics of lemon flesh, yellow grapefruit, and warm pastry dough. A medium-to-full-bodied frame balances dense fruit flavors with a firm, chalky mineral undercurrent. A zesty, electric acidity slices directly through the waxy mid-palate volume, maintaining excellent structural tension. The clay geology provides a distinct sticky texture that adds great definition to the mouthfeel. It finishes completely bone-dry, leaving a lingering, mouthwatering trace of salinity.