Champagne Goulin-Roualet Blanc de Noirs Origine Brut Premier Cru 2018
From one of my favorite Champagne finds comes this awesome BdN of meunier that surprises at EVERY turn!
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Why We Love It...
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we didn’t get nearly as much as we’d like. With a producer this tiny, it’s just how the cookie crumbles sometimes, so take note and make haste! This is 100% pinot meunier from a quaint father/daughter operation based in Sacy – a small Premier Cru village a couple miles south of Reims, contained within the northern reaches of the Montagne de Reims.
Today, Christophe Goulin and his daughter Marine work alongside one another in their small cellar (though Marine has essentially taken over on the winemaking side), with only a handful of barrels and some half-dozen stainless steel tanks, producing a robust portfolio of 11 different cuvees. Most of these never leave France, and we had to beg to get as much as we did on this second go-round. Only 132 cases ever made!
The fruit hails from a single parcel, the lieu-dit of “Le Mont-Benoit” in Villers-aux-Noeuds, just a few miles south of Reims. All of the pinot meunier is from the 2018 harvest, yet the quixotic combination of developed notes and unwavering freshness would have made one certain that a reserve cuvee of some serious complexity was blended in. That is not the case here, but nevertheless, the complexity remains. An amazingly harmonious wine, with good weight and supreme balance, and a completely entrancing texture. Aromas and flavors of raspberry and cherry, with blackberries, strawberries, blood orange, lavender, and bay leaf prance in first. It continues with sensations of graphite and baking spice – and somehow, the enhanced fruitiness of the pinot meunier never comes across as overtly fruity or sweet. It’s subtle, and mineral, and spicy, with a balanced attack and neverending finish. Really, really incredible is all I can say; now go and get as much as you possibly can! There will not be enough!
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Technical Details
Champagne Goulin-Roualet