Chartogne Taillet Cuvee St. Anne Merfy NV

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Wine Spectator 92
Full-bodied and powerful, offering toast and malt aromas followed by honey, roasted almond and ginger flavors. Rich, this finishes dry, with a long aftertaste of honey and nut. Drink now through 2012. ?BS October 15, 2009

Wine Information: The blend here is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay and is 80% from the 2004 vintage and 20% from 2002. Chartognes have been producing Champagne for hundreds of years in the villages of Merfy, Chenay and Saint Thierry. Some malolactic fermentation is done on the Pinot Noir but not on the Chardonnay and there is 6 grams per liter residual sugar, which is about a third lower than it used to be. Alexander has taken over the winemaking here after completing his stage with Selosse. Total winery production is 6,700 cases.

Unusually pronounced red-grape fragrances this time; the wine is usually marked by saut?ed apples and butter, but this time it?s all braised beef, shiitakes and honey-mushroom; the palate starts to conform to type, silky and tangy and more apple now; as stylish and reliable as always. It?s a very good intro to farmer-fizz; its flavors are close enough to the mainstream but very few nego?iant Champagnes have this clarity, specificity and articulation.

Winery Information: With Chartogne-Taillet one appreciates the significance of terroir. Theirs is an example of just how wonderful wines can be simply because of how talented and conscientious they are. Their land, while good (Merfy is ?84%? on the Echelle de Crus) is not aristocratic, and I?m certain if we could transplant them to, say, A? or Mesnil they?d promptly take their place among the elite. As it is, we have overachievers making some silky, swank fizz articulated with careful diction, ?easy? drinking and forthright. These are racy, spicy Champagnes at the low end; sumptuous, brioche-y Champagnes at the top. For some reason, a consistent standout in blind tastings! The basic wine is keen and racy, and the upper-end wines are virtually luscious, they are so brioche-y and creamy. Lovers of old-style Champagnes are encouraged to look closely at these. More recent cuvees have shown a silken complexity that?s consistent enough to infer the design of a knowing hand.