R.H. Coutier - Cuvee Tradition Brut (1.5L)
Price: $115.00
| Producer | R.H. Coutier |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Subregion | Ambonnay |
| Varietal | Champagne Blend |
| Sku | 11447 |
This wonderful bubbly is made from Grand Cru Ambonnay fruit and you can taste it through and through. The wine has a deep vinous quality of broad red fruits from the Pinot and an underlying elegance from the Chardonnay, which makes it a great full bodied wine that works both as an aperitif or with a very broad range of foods. It has a fine delicate mousse and a big mid-palate that moves directly to a long and wonderful mineral finish. There is a fine balance of slight sweet and acidity as well.
Vinous Media gave this wine a whopping 92 points, saying:
Coutier's NV Brut Tradition Grand Cru is absolutely gorgeous. Scents of baked apple, Mirabelle, brioche, spice and white flowers give the wine its brightness and focus. The Brut Tradition is 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay, with the Pinot coming through in the wine's fruit profile and weight and the Chardonnay adding lovely aromatic top notes. This is another superb Champagne from Coutier that delivers exceptional quality and personality for the money. This release is based on 2013, with the addition of some reserve wines. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2016.
R.H. Coutier Description
The Coutier house style is accentuated by René’s vinification and cellar techniques that seek to marry the traditional richness of Ambonnay fruit with the racy and pure style that René cherishes. In this regard, only half of the Coutier wines go through malolactic fermentation, as René feels that this perfectly balances opulence with raciness in the finished wines.
Varietal Notes: 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay
Organic: Practicing
Vineyard: 70% Pinot, 30% Chardonnay and all is estate-fruit from Ambonnay, one of the largest Grand Cru villages. The Coutier family was the first family to plant Chardonnay in this famed Pinot-centric village.
Orientation: Vineyards in Ambonnay face due south, producing a warmer microclimate for the grapes.
Soil: Ambonnay soils have more clay and a bit less limestone than is typical throughout the region.
Viticulture: The Coutiers practice "lutte raisonnée", a method of viticulture which encourages biodiversity and soil health. Coutier ploughs, uses no herbicides and grows grass between rows.
Vinification: 2012 base vintage, with some reserve from previous vintages. Stainless steel; 100% malolactic.
Aging: Sur lie for 24-36 months; 6 grams dosage.
Notes: An excellent and racy bottle with the signature red fruit characteristics of Ambonnay. 6 grams dosage,
Wine Spectator: 92 Points
The firm acidity is finely meshed in this seamless Champagne, with a rich note of chalky minerality underscoring the creamy palate's flavors of chopped almond, black currant, fleur de sel and candied lemon zest. Disgorged October 2014. Drink now through 2020. 1,500 cases made.
–AN
Burghound: 91 Points
A moderately yeasty and attractively complex nose features notes of lemon rind and dried rose petals that complement the citrusy, intense and utterly delicious flavors that possess fine depth and excellent length. This seems notably better and more complete than the NV cuvée reviewed several years ago. Worth considering, both for a sparkler that could be drunk now or aged for as long as an additional five years.
