NV Jerome Dehours Extra Brut Lieux Dit Maisoncelle

NV Mareuil-le-Port Maisoncelle Réserve Perpétuelle, disgorged in October 2023 with four grams per liter dosage, comes from one of Dehours's lowest-yielding parcels—northeast-facing with clay-silt soils rich in iron—located midway up the slope above Port à Binson. Primarily Pinot Noir, with minor plantings of Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Pinot Meunier, the wine is built on a perpetual reserve begun in 2013 and now includes vintages up to 2018. As with Brisefer and La Croix Joly, the individual perpetual cuvée is replenished post-bottling with the most recent vintage, which has seen eight months in small oak barrels, sustaining the continuity of the perpetual blend. It opens with aromas of red apple, tangerine and dried flowers, though this olfactory allure is undermined by a trace of volatile acidity that imposes itself on the nose—prompting me, in this context, to moderate my evaluation. Too bad, as on the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, rich and enveloping, with racy acids and a pillowy mousse, culminating in a persistent finish.