When one of our best suppliers of off-the-radar producers throughout France gives us a call and wants to show us a new Champagne portfolio, our schedules magically clear out. One sip into the Goulin-Roualet line-up, and we knew. This was going to be a new favorite producer. With its astounding level of quality across the portfolio, this is a producer to keep track of – we certainly are! After the last time we shared this 98 point Premier Cru Brut, we couldn’t order another shipment fast enough! But we only have a lingering few cases this time that are certain to fly, so make your move accordingly.

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 cuvées. Most of their bottlings never leave France, and we had to beg to get as much as we did on this go-round. Only 132 cases ever made, and we have but a few of those remaining in our warehouse!

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 cuvée of some serious complexity was blended in. Not the case in this instance, but nevertheless, the complexity remains… and astonishes at every sip and every turn! An amazingly harmonious wine, with good weight and supreme balance, and a completely entrancing texture that glides like silk through your fingers. 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 too ripe – simply perfectly in tune. It’s subtle, and mineral, and spicy, with a balanced attack and never-ending finish. Really, really incredible is all I can say… Take our word and go get as much as you possibly can! There will not be enough…and I’m due for a re-stock myself!