2019 Champagne Christophe Baron Les Alouettes
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Tasting notes
Disgorged in May 2023, Christophe Baron's 2019 Brut Nature Les Alouettes is performing beautifully, offering a complex aromatic range of dried apricot, cranberry and mandarin, mingling with crisp peach. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied and impressively concentrated, underpinned by considerable tension. Its expansive core of fruit is balanced by bright acidity, and it culminates in a long, precise finish. Those familiar with Baron's work will recognize its origins in a southeast-facing parcel in Charly-sur-Marne—a breezy site that ripens up to 10 days later than the Les Closeaux vineyard.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
This is a supremely poised and elegant Champagne. Lots of grapefruit, honeycomb, white tea, citron peel, white apricots and salted almonds here, yet itâs linear and racy, with tight bubbles and a cool yet intense and very long finish. 100% pinot meunier from a vineyard planted in 1968. From organically grown grapes. In magnums only. Zero dosage. Disgorged May 2023. Drink or hold.
Meaning "The Larks," the 2019 Champagne Les Alouettes Brut Nature comes from a southeast-facing vineyard site in the village of Charly-sur-Marne, in the Marne Valley. It pours a youthful straw hue and is open-knit with aromas of almond, toasted shortbread, honey, and dried peach. Medium-bodied, with a fluffy mousse, it is delicate and lithe on the palate, with a soft, chalky texture and a clean, delicately saline finish. A very attractive wine, it will drink well over the coming 8-10 years.
The 2019 Brut Nature Les Alouettes displays a decidedly more exotic flavor profile than in previous vintages, with notes of Asian pear, ginger, tangerine oil and hazelnut. A weightier and richer expression of Meunier than is typical, the Les Alouettes is intense, pliant, creamy and resonant to the core. Zero dosage. Disgorged: May, 2023.