Pierre Gimonnet’s Cuis premier cru Croix-Blanche vineyard.
Aurélien Suenen is pouring vins clairs, the still base wines from the 2023 harvest that have yet to become sparkling Champagne. ‘It’s a new world,’ he says, raising an eyebrow. ‘The wines are opening up so fast compared to the last two decades. I really enjoy what I taste – but maybe too much!’
The Butte de Saran, a stumpy, tree-topped hill encircled by vineyards, dominates the view from Suenen’s smart new tasting room. From the villages of Chouilly, Cramant, Cuis and Oiry that surround it, a single, largely east-facing bank of Cretaceous-era chalk meanders southwards for 20km, through villages that resonate with significance like few others in Champagne: Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Vertus.
On a bright day, the dry chalky tracks that split the Chardonnay vineyards seem almost backlit with white light.
Scroll down to see notes and scores for 30 stunning Champagnes from the Côte des Blancs
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Credit: JP Map Graphics Ltd.
Today, the villages are buzzing with grower-producers while the larger-scale houses continue to blend their top blanc de blancs largely from Côte des Blancs fruit (entry-level examples tend to blend in less expensive Chardonnay fruit from elsewhere in Champagne).
Nowhere else – with the…
Source : https://www.decanter.com/premium/champagne-report-2024-latest-releases-from-the-cote-des-blancs-533753/
