Robert Moncuit

2008 Les Chetillons (magnum)

Når man har noget helt særligt, så skal det udnyttes. Og det har man hos Robert Moncuit. En lille parcel på en af absolut bedste marker i Le Mesnil; ”Les Chetillons”. De har ca. 2 hektar som er opdelt i 4 parceller som er tilplantet i hhv. 1951, 1968, 1970 og 1972. Der anvendes udelukkende druer fra de ældste parceller (ca. 1 hektar) til denne cuvée. Og det er en lille genistreg at lancere den i den fabelagtige årgang 2008.

Druerne bliver selvfølgelig høstet i hånden ved optimal modningsgrad og med gæring i ståltanke for ikke at maskere Chardonnay-druens og terroirets mineralske karakter. En lav dosage på 3 gram pr. liter forstærker yderligere den store renhed i vinen. Robert Parker’s skribent på Champagne, Stephan Reinhardt er begejstret, men tag et lille forbehold for de info han nævner. Ovenstående facts kommer fra domainet:

Wine Advocate #221 Oct 2015	Stephan Reinhardt	93	2017 - 2030	-
Launched for the first time, the 2008 Grand Cru Les Chétillons (Magnum) is 100% unfiltered Chardonnay with no dosage from the corresponding lieu-dit in Mesnil-sur-Oger in which Pierre Amillet holds two hectares. "This terroir has a very poor soil with only 20 centimeters of top soil over the chalky subsoil," he says. The vines were planted in 1956. Poured from the Magnum, the wine shows deep and very clear flavors of yellow apples, lemon and orange aromas. Still very young, this is a pure and very mineral Champagne full of finesse, vibration and length that will benefit from some months (not to mention years) of bottle aging. A great character. Champagne Robert Moncuit in Mesnil sur Oger (Côte des Blancs; the domaine exists since 1889) cultivates 25 plots adding up to eight hectares of Chardonnay, mostly 50+ year old vines on chalky soils. Moncuit works the soil but is not an organic wine producer. The vins clairs were fermented in stainless steel and kept on the lees for ten months, so the bottling is usually in July. Only the Reserve is partly fermented in oak (20%). The domaine has existed since 1889. Moncuits aims for fresh Champagnes that are not dominated by the fruit, but the chalky terroir of Mesnil. Indeed the wines have a great purity and finesse, but a good complexity too.