NV Marie Courtin Concordance

Iris and narcissus, lemon and lentil sprout, white peach and apple combine in the pure-Pinot Marie Courtin NV Extra Brut Concordance D0113CD for a bittersweet, musky bouquet that also anticipates the lusciously juicy, succulent and sustained fruit matrix on this wine’s polished and buoyant palate. But that’s not the half of it. Nutty, herbal, and animal nuances that I can only liken to herbed escargot combine with maritime salinity and alkalinity for an at once intriguing and saliva gland-milking presence, while chalk and white pepper lend invigorating counterpoint to a mouthwateringly lingering finish. This superb Champagne will almost certainly display further nuance and dynamic as it evolves, but given its low sulfur and my unfamiliarity with older bottlings, I won’t try to handicap it. Just experience it soon, whatever else you do! Dominique Moreau created her estate – named for a grandmother – in 2005, and is one of the increasingly numerous growers fluently witnessing to the potential of the Cotes des Bar’s Kimmeridgian belt by growing her fruit biodynamically and showcasing it in vintage- and vineyard-specific bottlings vinified with minimal sulfur (usually a smidgeon each in the press and at bottling), and typically finished without dosage. A horrendous June storm (on the heels of a hail-laden predecessor days earlier) rendered it impossible this year for me to spend time with her in her vineyards, but fortunately the bottles she had set out for me to taste were still chilly despite loss of power, and they stole the show even from the outdoor natural drama. Lot numbers on Marie Courtin labels refer to the vintage in question; followed by the month and year of disgorgement; then reference to dosage (or rather, in most instances at this address, its absence). Incidentally, the prevalence of “non-vintage” yet single vintage-dedicated bottlings especially among young growers in the Aube arises from their choosing – or, in many cases, needing for financial reasons – to disgorge the wines too soon to qualify under Champagne regulations for official “vintage” status. Thomas Calder Selections, Paris (with various importers); fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29, importers include Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisko, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404 and Joli Vin, Emeryville, CA; tel. (415) 308-2460