Champagne Copin-Cautel Coup de Crayon Extra Brut Blanc de Noir NV

Champagne Copin-Cautel is a seven-hectare estate in the village of Vandières, in Champagne’s Vallée de la Marne. Husband-and-wife team, Séverine Cautel and Philippe Copin, run the day-to-day operations and emphasize low-intervention winemaking, allowing the characteristics of their terroir to shine through. The wines are known for depth, fruitiness, and structure, and they practice sustainable viticulture to maintain biodiversity and ensure soil health. To put it simply, you can taste the purity of their Champagne because of their dedicated emphasis on viticulture, and we’ve been blown away by just about every wine we’ve encountered from their portfolio.

Séverine’s grandparents owned a vine nursery where Philippe’s family bought grapevines, but that’s not how they initially crossed paths. The pair met in secondary school and fell in love soon after, tending Philippe’s family vineyards together. He runs the field and cellar side, while she maintains the marketing and administration end of the business. Together, their hope is to craft small-batch, immeasurably delicious Champagnes – characterized by their beautiful terroir, and usage of native yeast and subtle wood – that bring family and friends together for good times and sweet memories. After savoring my glass and taking a few splashes extra for “authentic tasting notes” sake, I’d say that hope is alive and well, dear friends!

Their Coup de Crayon NV Extra Brut is a blend of half Pinot Noir, half Pinot Meunier, with just 2 grams per liter dosage to really allow the grapes’ purity to shine. A dazzling aromatic profile of butter shortbread cookies, golden apples, and dried apricots paves the way for the energetic show to come. With a foamy, creamy mousse, the palate introduces racy and vibrant notes of lemon rind, white peach, and grapefruit, underscored by chalky minerality and generous acidity. This is all-around lush and lengthy, with an excellent creaminess that almost melts as it spreads across the tongue. It is a mightily impressive, limited production Grower Champagne from a heartfelt team in a lovely pocket of the Vallée de la Marne – and at this price, you’ll be entirely elated when you make some of it yours!