Champagne Anthony & Clémence Toullec Blanc de Noirs Parcellaire Les Plus Extra Brut Rilly-la-Montagne Premier Cru NV

Champagne Anthony and Clémence Toullec are a husband-and-wife team in the Montagne de Reims that we’ve had the immense privilege of visiting. After an afternoon in one of the most immaculately clean and zen-inspiring cellars we’ve yet found, I was immediately smitten with the expressive quality of their entire portfolio. They farm 4 hectares of vineyards spread across several plots, that include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier, with a focus on preserving soil health, promoting biodiversity, and ensuring environmental sustainability.

The Toullecs believe in low-intervention winemaking, allowing the terroir to speak for itself so that the wines can shine. They use indigenous yeast fermentations and vinify each plot separately to preserve the distinct characteristics of the terroir. But they keep an almost hospital-level degree of their meticulously clean cellar – so low intervention does not lead to any wayward character flaws in the final product. Their Champagnes are aged extensively on lees to develop complexity and depth, with grapes so good they even sell some of them to the revered Grande Marques house and Winston Churchill's favorite, Pol Roger. We promised them that if they keep making wines like this, selling grapes will become a necessity no longer. That’s how spectacular these wines are, and how much we believe in them.

Champagne Toullec’s Blanc de Noirs Les Plus hails from the Premier Cru village of Rilly-la-Montagne, a 100% Pinot Noir from the village where Vilmart et Cie has its headquarters. After gentle pressing from their small Coquard press, the cuvée (first press) juice ferments in 600 liter barrels, prior to aging on the lees. In the glass, notes of lemon flower, plum, and petrichor are prominent, and the rounded shape of the wine is delightfully plush, yet focused. The complex, salty, and toasty flavors of toasted baguette, kefir, thyme, and Mirabelle plum are exactly what we want when craving soul-satisfying Grower Champagne. It’d be a shame to miss out on this fantastic and delicious deal, so get ready to imbibe well!