Working with just over two hectares of vines in the Côte des Bar, the subsection of Champagne that’s situated well south of the region’s heartland, Dominique Moreau epitomizes the ‘vigneron-as-gardener’ ethos behind the greatest natural wines. Moreau only released her first Champagnes in 2006, and yet, in an appellation not only dense with competition but steeped in history, her star has been steadily ascendant.
Alongside small-scale contemporaries such as Cédric Bouchard and Vouette & Sorbée, Moreau and her Marie-Courtin Champagnes—so named for her great-grandmother, whom she describes as being “one with the earth”—are hammering home the seemingly obvious notion that Champagne is wine, not merely a ‘beverage.’ This wine, called “Efflorescence,” is an opulent expression of ripe, meticulously hand-farmed Pinot Noir, from a producer who shuns adding any dosage (the corrective does of sugar used by most Champagne houses) to her finished wines. Although it doesn’t say so, this wine is the product of the 2010 vintage, and delivers a mixture of creaminess, depth, and mature/maturing ‘secondary’ notes that is unheard-of at this price point. But the quantity on hand is, perhaps predictably, tiny.
With warmer temperatures, a Chablis-like terroir, and southeast-facing vineyards on sloping hills, many growers have flocked down from Champagne’s epicenter to the Aube, the region to which the Côte des Bar belongs. Just 16 years ago, in the soporific town of Polisot, Moreau started leasing a third of a small vineyard her father-in-law cultivated in the early 1970s. this, she has increased ownership to the above-mentioned 2.5 hectares, while her husband, Roland Piollot, makes a wonderful Champagne of his own with the remaining piece. Unlike others, her biodynamic approach has been less idealistic and more hands-on. She endures back-breaking work in the vineyard in order to achieve a perfect harmony with nature.
While most of the soil in Côte des Bar is similar to nearby Chablis (limestone-rich Kimmeridgian), “Efflorescence” comes from the clay-dominated lower hill of her six-acre parcel, which she believes produces the most age-worthy and powerful Pinot Noir. Her vines are roughly 35-40 years old and, come harvest time, yields are kept incredibly low (she could be picking almost twice the amount of grapes!). In the winery, intervention is minimal. Yeasts were grown herself in 2003, a traditional Coquard basket press is used for pressing, and neutral Burgundian oak is implemented for vinification and fine lees aging. After three additional years of resting in bottle, the final product is sent off without fining, filtration, or added sugar—but you would never guess it. When you experience the texture of this wine, it’s hard to believe that no dosage was added. (Moreau labels the wine Extra Brut, which is drier than Brut but indicates a trace amount of residual sugar, but it is derived from the ripeness of the fruit in the base wine, not from dosage).
“Efflorescence” is a great name for an artisanal grower Champagne such as this: The word refers not only to a white, powdery deposit that forms on rocks and soil, but to a “bloom,” or blooming—not just of a flower but of a person’s intellectual/artistic capacities. This 2010 from Marie-Courtin delivers on that promise: In the glass, it reveals a brilliant gold-yellow elixir in the glass with flits of copper. Strong beads of carbonation shuttle upward with no abandon, letting you immediately know this wine is no quaffer. A playful nose of citrus blossoms, apple skin and white peach may beguile some at first, but upon feeling the richness and weight of this wine, it’s clear it can stand boldly alongside the Pinot-driven powerhouses in Reims and Epernay. The wine is round and fleshy, yet reveals a softness due to the fruit’s ripeness and carefully calibrated oxygen exposure from old Burgundian barrels. The palate rushes forward with red currant, white cherry, ripe apricot, yellow flowers and plum, but if you have the patience to allow the wine to open up for 30 minutes, better things will come. As the carbon dioxide slowly dissipates, the vinous side of the Champagne emerges with slight savory notes of beeswax and chamomile, followed by shortbread, stirred lees, and almond butter. The wine will continue to shine over the next 5-7 years, developing more savory notes as time moves forward. Be sure to open around 50 degrees and drink in an all-purpose white wine stem—you’ll want dip your nose deep into the glass for this one! This wine has the minerality, weight and complexity to stand up to a number of dishes, but I highly recommend pan-seared salmon on a bed of arugula with a twist of lemon. Enjoy!
