I recently had two very good bottles of Pinot Noir from Champagne. I really think there is more to discover here. Can it reach the heights of Burgundy when it comes to quality? I think so, but it'll take time!
These are my tasting notes from the two bottles in the pictures:
2018 Egly-Ouriet Coteaux Champenois Ambonnay Rouge 'Cuvée des Grands Côtes' Vieilles Vignes – 4,6/5
Rich and intense Pinot Noir with deep cherry and dark berry flavors, layered with earthy spice, a hint of smoke, and firm structure. Silky texture, vibrant acidity, and a long, savory finish. Serious, bold, and built to age.
2013 Bollinger Coteaux Champenois La Côte Aux Enfants – 4,2/5
Bright and elegant Pinot Noir with fresh red cherry and wild strawberry on the nose, plus a touch of earth and spice. Smooth and balanced on the palate with fine tannins, good acidity, and a long, slightly floral finish. Refined but still full of character.
by Aval0nian
3 Comments
Underrated, but also hard to find (at least in my area) and generally expensive when found.
Quality is very good. It reminds me more of Pinot from Jura sometimes than it does Burgundy. Burgundy has a bit more acidity because of less maturation of grapes, and thus less alcohol—11 to 11.5 percent—with a finish that is more tannic, but overall Champagne Rouge is lighter than Burgundy in my experience.
Edit: Do you mind me asking what you paid for these bottles? Last time I had it was at a friend’s house in NYC. It was nearly $300 a bottle.
Highly underrated but also very hard to find here in Michigan, I was at a blind tasting once where there were 4 Coteaux Champenoise Rouge and they delighted everyone
Some are bad and prices are high. Paul Bara makes a good one in enough volume to actually export some