I want to start by making the following point perfectly clear: Vincent Couche’s 1999 is not a re-release; it is the debut. In other words, Vincent, a man of calculated madness (brilliance?), waited 20 years before disgorging and releasing his ‘99s. And even still, he’s doing so in the smallest of batches, which leads me to my second point: The number of magnums we secured for you today can be counted on a few hands.
Truth be told, we didn’t even get the luxury of tasting a magnum—there wasn’t one to be spared—so we opened a standard-sized bottle that the importer specially brought over. The level of intelligence, freshness, and profound mineral precision each sip brought was staggering; it’s about as perfect as a 20+-year-old Champagne can get. Further, I’m confident today’s large format has embraced the past two decades with even more grace and harmony (because of the smaller wine-to-oxygen ratio) than its little 750mL brother. As much as I would like you to keep reading about this spectacular magnum, there simply isn’t enough time: I’m guessing it will disappear within the hour, so take one and then come back to read about the marvels of Vincent Couche.
[*NOTE: Due to the wine’s large format, 'Build-a-Case' is unavailable.]
It was Vincent Couche’s mother who inspired his passion for vineyard work, and especially, for maintaining a natural, chemical-free ecosystem. As such, he has spent every waking hour over the past two decades ensuring his wines are additive-free. Because he refuses unnatural methods at every step of the process—from eschewing “-cides” to banning chaptalization or sulfur during fermentation to only using gravity to move the wine—Vincent Couche is leading the charge in both the organic and grower Champagne movements. Our importer even told us he is the first producer in Champagne to be Certified Biodynamic in both the vineyard and cellar.
Couche only produces “Sensation” in vintages he deems worthy and 1999 was one of those standout seasons. His fruit comes from two choice villages: Buxeuil (Pinot Noir) and Montgueux (Chardonnay). Vines in Montgueux, made famous by Champagne icon Jacques Lassaigne, are perched on an expansive chalky rise that looks down at the farmland below. It’s predominantly planted to Chardonnay, and the wonderfully ripe grapes grown here add immense texture and vibrancy in the final wine. Back at Vincent’s cellar in Buxeuil, a fermentation (including malolactic) born of ambient yeasts was carried out in French oak barrels, without any sulfur, and the final blend was bottled in the beginning of 2000. It was then cellared for 19 years before Vincent finally believed it to be showing its best. Upon disgorgement in the spring of 2019, it was topped off with a light extra-brut dosage (less than six grams of sugar).
This Champagne will redefine your perception about mature sparkling wines: It’s not always about caramel, hazelnut, and bruised fruit. The appeal of a late-disgorgement wine is that the bulk of aging comes before, not after, the disgorgement, when the wine is still in contact with the lees. Over years and decades, the lees act as a preservative while adding immense layers of complexity and texture. So when disgorgement day finally arrived—early 2019 in today’s case—Sensation was more fresh, vibrant, and precise than a competitor’s bottle of ’99 that was disgorged, say, in the early 2000s. Make sense?
In the glass, the wine stuns with a youthful bright yellow color and energetic aromas that defy the vintage listed on the bottle. Fresh cream, Meyer lemon, Rainier cherry, and hints of tropical fruit dazzle alongside finely crushed chalk, oyster shell, salt-preserved citrus, dried savory herbs, and a touch of toasted brioche. The wine is creamy, multi-layered, and resoundingly lifted from start to finish, all while stubbornly refusing to show one ounce of fatigue. It’s a masterpiece that will go head-to-head with Champagne's greatest names, period. Serve in all-purpose stems around 55 degrees, or warmer, and enjoy it over an entire evening so you can experience another dimension as the temperature rises and the bubbles dissipate. Enjoy.
