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Champagne Goulin-Roualet Carte Noire Brut Premier Cru NV Wine - Last Bottle

Champagne Goulin-Roualet Carte Noire Brut Premier Cru NV

95 points for this exceptional bottling of one of our favorite new Grower Producer discoveries of the past year! If you haven’t tried these wines yet, do not hesitate – this small family estate is Grower Champagne at its finest!

$59
$100

Retail

41
Flavor Profile: Biscuits, red cherries, plums, green apples, Bartlett pears, orange cream, and crushed rocks
Time on Lees: 24 months
Dosage: 6.45 g/L
Score: TP95

Why We Love It...

A trusted source brought this little-known producer to our tasting bar, and we were immediately entranced by everything this tiny Premier Cru winery had available! Wine after wine had us looking at each other with incredulity, wondering if we were all experiencing the same mouth-gaping euphoria that each sip brought. And sure enough, we all were. Still today, that keeps happening with every sip of Goulin-Roualet – including this one. Now, you can see what all of our fuss has been about and thank us later!

First, the basics: Goulin-Roualet is a father-daughter outfit based in Sacy, a small Premier Cru village south of Reims. Marine, the daughter, runs the day-to-day winemaking, but her father, Christophe, is never far away and is always willing to lend a hand when necessary. Their production facility is small, yet efficient, with just enough tanks, vats, and barrels to make the whole of their 11 cuvée portfolio – most of which scarcely exceeds 150 cases in total production. Goulin-Roualet is an artisan producer that makes some of the best – mostly unknown – cuvées in Champagne today! 

Their vinification process is an all-stainless steel operation. They allow their wines to undergo partial malo, which builds texture and richness, but these are fresh and vibrant wines that showcase their terroir exceptionally well. The dosage is on the lower end of Brut – almost Extra Brut – at just 6.45 grams per liter. They prefer the wine’s character to stand on its own versus its identity being masked with dosage, or the “makeup,” if you will. I agree with their philosophy, as I love my wines uber dry. 

This blend focuses on just the red grapes of Champagne – Pinot Noir and Meunier – with a touch of Chardonnay thrown in for structure and acidity. Of all the Goulin-Roualet cuvees, this one has the lowest pressure, meaning with a lower intensity of bubbles that showcases a more vinous style. All-purpose stems or even Burgundy bowls should be the glassware of choice here, to properly showcase its lees-y, autolytic style. The biscuit aromas are joined with flavors of red cherries and plums, Bartlett pears, Granny Smith apples and orange cream. I’m salivating already. With a lean and mineral-driven finish that feels and tastes like what we imagine crushed rocks to taste like, it sets the stage for the next sip to follow…and I’m left pondering how such a small grower can craft such a beguiling and incredibly unique wine. Every time I revisit this wine, I stand stoic, in awe of the sheer craftsmanship of this wine. It never ceases to amaze. The price is already marked at 45% off, and you’ll be hard pressed to find this anywhere else! 

Scores

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Fizz Meter

Technical Details

Country: France
Region: Champagne
Appellation: Montagne de Reims
Varietal: Champagne Blends
Blend: 45% Pinot Noir, 45% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay
Winemaker: Marine Goulin
Alcohol: 12%
Pair it with: Roast chicken with garlic and lemon

About the Producer

Marriage of heart and land, Goulin-Roualet champagne results from the union of Mr. Goulin and Miss Roualet, as well as their respective family vineyards. The house is based on three generations of viticulture. The estate includes the three Champagne grape varieties for a greater diversity of our cuvées, mainly in the town of Sacy and the two surrounding villages as well as a plot at "Mont-Benoît" in Villers-aux-Nœuds. The mostly limestone subsoil, the harsh climate and the relief create specific combinations for each of our plots and give our champagne wines their typicality. They vinify and age their wines in vats and barrels to develop a more complex palette of aromas.

Champagne Goulin-Roualet Carte Noire Brut Premier Cru NV

$59
$100

Retail

41

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