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Champagne Marie-Courtin
Map location of Champagne Marie-Courtin
Country of Origin: France
Location: Côte des Bars, Aube Valley
People: Dominique Moreau, Owner & Winemaker


Though Dominique Moreau has only been in control of the Marie-Courtin estate (named for her grandmother) since 2000, her Champagnes have come to achieve an elegance that is already gaining an international reputation. Her vineyard is small: just 2.5 hectares, but is more than enough to create her vision of single-vineyard, single-varietal Champagnes. Her Pinot Noir grapes, which comprise 90 percent of her planting, thrive in the vineyard’s clay and chalk soils, and create complex wines with vibrant minerality. She uses organic and biodynamic viticulture in the fields, hand harvesting, natural yeasts, and a focus on low yields to preserve intensity in her grapes.

Her hillside vineyard in Polisot (located the next town over from Celles-sur-Ource, where Cédric Bouchard lives and works) is home to 35 to 40 year-old Pinot vines, which were chosen by a unique process known as massal: rather than creating vine clones from one mother plant, massal practice employs many exceptional plants to create clones. This enables a genetically diverse crop of grapes, and a complex, layered flavor in the resulting wines.

The estate produces two distinct cuvées. The first is known as ‘Resonance,’ which connotes, for Dominique, the wine’s balanced relationship to its terroir. With grapes sourced from the top of the hill, it sees fermentation in stainless steel. The result is a crisp and lively wine with a great expression of its place. Its counterpart, ‘Efflorescence,’ named for its ability to “evolve in perpetuity” is comprised of grapes from the bottom of the hill and is fermented and aged in neutral oak barriques. Moreau feels that this wine will age with grace and display unique characteristics at each stage of its evolution. Neither of these wines sees any additional dosage at disgorgement.

With her philosophy of minimal intervention, Moreau hopes to express the energy of place and its natural rhythms in her wines.

The Wine Advocate on Marie-Courtin, Issue #192, Dec 2010:
"These are the first wines I have tasted from Marie Courtin, a small grower based in Polisot, in the Côte des Bar. The vineyards have been farmed biodynamically since 2007. These wines represent the height of vinosity in Champagne. It will be fascinating to see what develops here in the coming years."

Media Links
The New York Times Dining & Wine: Champagne's Servants Join the Masters
ChampagneGuide.net: Marie-Courtin

Social Media
Marie-Courtin Facebook
Items
Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Efflorescence' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC Net Price Reviews —
Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Resonance' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC Net Price Reviews —
Reviews
Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Efflorescence' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 93

(100% pinot noir; disgorged January, 2012): Bright yellow-gold.  Dried lemon, pear skin, honeysuckle and minerals on the highly perfumed nose. Chewy, concentrated citrus and orchard fruit flavors give way to succulent melon and nectarine in the mid-palate and pick up an exotic anise quality with air.  The dry finish shows intense mineral cut, leaving lively lemon zest and pear notes behind.  

- International Wine Cellar (11/30/2012)

Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Efflorescence' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 93

Bright yellow-gold. Dried lemon, pear skin, honeysuckle and minerals on the highly perfumed nose. Chewy, concentrated citrus and orchard fruit flavors give way to succulent melon and nectarine in the mid-palate and pick up an exotic anise quality with air. The dry finish shows intense mineral cut, leaving lively lemon zest and pear notes behind. 

- International Wine Cellar (11/1/2012)

Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Efflorescence' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 92

Efflorescence Extra Brut NV [2006] is also 100% Pinot, but here the wine is fermented and aged in neutral oak. The Efflorescence is marvelous in the way it captures the essence of this great vintage. Warm, toasty aromas lead to intense, beautifully textured fruit that flows through effortlessly to the long, creamy finish. Sweet spices add the final layers of complexity. This is a highly promising effort from a young grower in just her second vintage. This is Lot# E06ND0410, disgorged April, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2016

- The Wine Advocate (12/1/2010)

Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Efflorescence' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 2 Stars

While this shows the dark, rich ripeness typical of the 2006 vintage, it carries itself with a wonderful elegance and finesse, its subtle red cherry and berry notes feeling silky and refined as well as intensely fragrant. The vinification in barrique seems to amplify the complexity of flavor, creating a more multi-dimensional impression than is found in the Resonance, and on the palate this exudes a vivid, vibrant energy from start to finish, further enlivened by prominently stony minerality. This is a superbly expressive champagne, perfectly balanced as a non-dos_, and it will be exciting to watch it develop with time

- Peter Liem's ChampagneGuide.net (2/1/2010)

Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Resonance' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 92

Pale yellow. Intense, mineral-accented aromas of lime zest, lemongrass, quinine and white pepper. Dry and incisive on the palate, presenting vibrant citrus and bitter pear skin flavors and a touch of rhubarb. Uncompromising, stony and focused, with excellent finishing clarity and length. This Champagne was made entirely from 2009 fruit.

- International Wine Cellar (12/15/2012)

Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Resonance' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 90

The NV (2007) Extra Brut Resonance possesses lovely richness and density in a round, polished style. This 100% Pinot shows wonderful depth and purity through to the long finish. The Resonance is sourced from 35-40 year old vines planted on clay and limestone rich soils. The wine was fermented and aged in steel, then bottled with no dosage. This is Lot# R07ND0410, disgorged April, 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015. These are the first wines I have tasted from Marie Courtin, a small grower based in Polisot, in the Cote des Bar. The vineyards have been farmed biodynamically since 2007. These wines represent the height of vinosity in Champagne. It will be fascinating to see what develops here in the coming years

- The Wine Advocate (12/1/2010)

Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Resonance' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC
Rating: 2 Stars

This is youthful and vivacious, showing a lovely texture and finesse. It takes its time to open in the glass, revealing a soft minerality under the red-fruit perfume and bringing out a subtle complexity and pronounced vinosity on the palate. It's intensely expressive without being large in body, energized by the acidity of the 2007 vintage, and it feels harmonious and complete as a non-dos_

- Peter Liem's ChampagneGuide.net (5/1/2010)