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
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| Current Items from Champagne Marie-Courtin |
| Cat # |
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Pack-Size |
Net |
Reviews |
| 4445 |
Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Efflorescence' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$320 |
CG 2 Stars WA 92 IWC 93 IWC 93 |
| 4446 |
Champagne Marie-Courtin NV 'Resonance' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$240 |
CG 2 Stars WA 90 IWC 92 |
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