Nevermind the fact that the total global production for tonight’s elusive gem sits at 250 cases, or that 25 cases were wrangled into America and we were quick enough to obtain 12 of them—that’s nothing compared to the staggering rarity of the precious juice itself. From my estimate, Coulon’s 2012 Blanc de Noirs belongs in the 0.1% of Champagne, and yes, that decimal is in the correct place.
Why? Half of this cuvée is sourced from
ungrafted Meunier vines, something of which is practically extinct throughout Champagne. That alone is enough for me to pounce on the wine, but there’s just so much more to factor in: (1) the vintage—2012 has earned heavy comparisons to the legendary years of 1996, 1990, even 1947; (2) the exceptional quality and pedigree of an artisanal, two-century-old family estate, (3) the actual drinking experience. As for the latter, this is a luxuriously rich, vinous, deeply thought-provoking Champagne built for hours of contemplation and conversation. We truly did luck out by securing these final 12 cases (it doesn’t exist online and the importer has sent over several screenshots of disgruntled collectors who were unable to obtain any), so buy a few bottles for yourself and I guarantee you’ll count yourself lucky/shrewd/grateful too. Our order will be arriving to our warehouse on June 12th. Three bottles for free Ground Shipping, six max.
[NOTE: If this is your first time seeing our Friday night series, welcome. My name is Mark Osburn, writer and sommelier at SommSelect, and you’re likely familiar with the many Champagnes I’ve waxed rhapsodic about over the years. My goal is simple: to offer you rare Champagne exclusives and/or highly allocated sparkling gems that have to be pried out of an iron grip. These special offers don’t happen every week, but they will always be on a Friday night...stay ever-vigilant.]
Throughout my career, Coulon has always been respected for presiding over a treasure trove of ancient vines, an impressive eight-generation family history in the Premier Cru village of Vrigny, and an honorably patient and traditional approach in the cellar. Everything here is done right, but recently the overall quality and demand have skyrocketed. With a bit of guidance, the Coulons have tweaked the house style to focus on mineral expression and purity by allowing their old vines to shine; adapting to each grape variety in the winery; and lowering their dosage. Roger Coulon is also part of Trait d’Union—a six-member collective pledging to farm sustainably and craft terroir-expressive wines. The other five members? Egly-Ouriet, Larmandier-Bernier, Selosse, Prevost, and Jacquesson—some of the absolute greatest names in grower Champagne. With these “teammates,” it’s no wonder I’m now head over heels for Roger Coulon!
Since establishing themselves in 1806, the Coulon family has ever-so-gradually increased their vine holdings to roughly 25 total acres—that’s the equivalent of adding an acre every 8-9 years! It’s because of this patience and discernment that they are able to delicately farm their old vines. For today’s rarely seen vintage Blanc de Noirs, they source from two parcels: Their ungrafted Meunier (i.e. the original rootstock survived phylloxera) in the village of Gueux and their Pinot Noir from Vrigny, a Premier Cru village made famous by Egly-Ouriet.
In the winery, the Meunier and Pinot Noir ferment via ambient, airborne yeasts (yet another rarity for Champagne, seeing as only a handful of producers do this) and age in stainless steel tanks. Upon bottling under crown cap, the Coulons demand that it ages five years—nearly seven for today’s cuvée—before disgorgement. It is unfined and topped off with an extremely light two-gram dosage, allowing old-vine fruit and mineral expression to explode out of the glass!
I’m confident that if you pour this into larger stems, around 55 degrees, and enjoy slowly over multiple hours, that it will be a contender for your top Champagne of the year, especially given its price. It emits profundity with every sip—I have to believe the ancient ungrafted vines impart extraordinary depth and inimitable character—and leaves a deeply embedded crushed-mineral footprint. And while it is incredibly vinous and powerfully structured, there is always a pulsing elegance to the wine: Rainier cherry, acacia, plums, redcurrant, dried black raspberry, and honeysuckle glide out of the glass, followed by crushed stones, oyster shell, hazelnut, and subtle notes of exotic spice. It’s hard not to get lost in every nuanced complexity here, which is why ambiance is key: This isn’t a party wine—it’s a sit-down-and-savor wine, one that can produce a nearly meditative state. Enjoy this masterful creation now and over the next decade.
