Chartogne-Taillet Les Orizeaux (V17) Extra Brut Champagne

Chartogne-Taillet is the home of some of the most exciting wines in Champagne. Alexandre Chartogne is a perfectionist in his approach to viticulture and winemaking, something he picked up from his mentor Anselme Selosse. Key to his approach is the importance of expressing terroir above all else. With that in mind, Alexandre separately vinifies a myriad of plots spread across 11 hectares of vineyards in Merfy and the neighbouring villages of Chenay and Saint-Thierry. Over half the parcels are ploughed by horse, and no pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers are used. In the winery, all fermentations are wild, and malolactic fermentation is not blocked. Alexandre favours wooden barrels or demi-muids for fermentations, and low dosage levels are used which allow the grapes to speak of their place.

Along with Les Barres, Orizeaux is perhaps Chartogne’s best-known vineyard. This north/south orientation parcel of Pinot Noir is much more calcareous than Les Barres and the roots plunge deep—over four meters into the soil. Planted in 1970, the parcel has always been highly prized by Alexandre Chartogne and his father before him, as the wine reflects both the generosity of the sandy soil and the mineral quality of the limestone bedrock.