When it comes to the Grand Cru showstoppers of Paul Déthune, one thing always bears repeating: If “Princesse Des Thunes” was bottled by a big-ticket Champagne House with millions of marketing dollars, it would merit double the price and triple the demand. Put your nose in the glass and you’ll understand why: this has the full-bodied allure and unrivaled Grand Cru power typically reserved for “window-shopping” labels. Don’t, however, mistake that for a lack of buzz—Déthune is one of the finest grower-producers in my constantly expanding Champagne Rolodex.
By extracting extraordinarily ripe fruit from their mature Grand Cru Ambonnay vines, adding reserve wines from a perpetual blend started in the 1980s, and allowing it to rest six years minimum on lees, “Princesse Des Thunes” flaunts the hard-to-master combination of opulence, precision, and depth. And remember, Paul Déthune is a genuine ‘micro’ producer: On any given year, today’s prestige cuvée tops out at a few hundred cases, with a fraction of that making it to America. As such, it has quickly turned into a hot-ticket Broadway show around here by rapidly selling out three consecutive times and generating impossible-to-meet demand. We suspect the same results for today’s newest disgorgement—as always, it’s a first-come, first-served ordeal.
Paul Déthune is a Récoltant-Manipulant (“RM” can be seen on the label), or grower-producer, which means they own, farm, and craft wines solely from their estate. While major Champagne houses, or Négociant-Manipulants, typically make wines by purchasing grapes from many different farmers, a “grower-producer” controls every aspect of farming and winemaking; 95% of the fruit must be from their own vineyards (if a grower who only has Chardonnay vines wants to make a rosé, he can purchase some Pinot Noir/Meunier with that remaining 5%). The Déthunes have been farming and crafting Champagne in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay since 1889, but their winemaking lineage can be traced to 1610. Today, Pierre Déthune and his wife, Sophie, tend to seventeen organically-tended acres throughout Ambonnay. It is here that Pinot Noir reveals its most intense expression, delivering signature minerality and terroir that translates to opulent, perfectly balanced Champagnes.
They are adamant about sustainability—natural fertilizers are used, cover crops are planted, solar panels have been installed, and a rainwater collection system has been implemented. Grapes are hand-harvested at ripe levels and fermented (both alcoholic and full-malolactic) in 205-liter French oak barriques. This cuvée incorporates 30% reserve wine from a unique blend of vintages first started nearly 40 years ago. It is “topped up” every year, much like a Sherry solera. After bottling, the wine then ages for numerous years—a minimum of six—in their chalk cellars that were hand-carved in the early 1600s. An interesting note: Instead of adding a standard dosage consisting of beet sugar, Pierre uses MCR, or moût concentré rectifié, which is super-concentrated grape must reduced down to its base sugars. It’s rarely found in Champagne, but several notable growers are now using it with the mindset that it creates a more neutral and consistent sweetener.
The newest release of “Princesse Des Thunes” (disgorged in the second half of 2019) displays a brilliant yellow core with silver reflections and an ultra-fine mousse. As always, it is incredibly concentrated and the nose sports wonderfully rich layers with astounding precision and a concentrated mineral core. You can also expect all the usual suspects of Grand Cru Ambonnay: Ripe red and yellow apple, pineapple core, apricot, Rainier cherry, honeysuckle, crushed white flowers and chalk, river rock, creamy brioche, Meyer lemon, fresh cream, and citrus blossoms. Like that of Krug or Bollinger, this is a true full-bodied Champagne with rich textures and ample acidity that shines throughout. Accordingly, it’s a serious wine, and about as complex, full throttle, and ‘intelligent’ as you can get in this price range. So, be sure to drink this special bottle in Burgundy or all-purpose white stems around 55 degrees and enjoy over the next decade. I started off this piece by saying one thing bears repeating, but now I have to make it two: “Princesse Des Thunes” is liquified greatness!
