A quick glance at tonight’s offer might lead you to think this is Champagne Paul Déthune’s bonafide classic Blanc de Noirs bottling, but I assure it’s something much grander, rarer, and exponentially more profound. I’m betting devoted wine insiders and Déthune collectors figured this out the moment they laid eyes on “Les Crayères,” a Grand Cru vineyard of immense importance that has been forever immortalized in Champagne registers by Egly-Ouriet. But Francis Egly doesn’t own this vineyard outright: the Déthunes, too, own a coveted slice of vines here—half of one hectare, to be exact. Historically, it has been blended into their signature Blanc de Noirs, but because Déthune’s “Les Crayères” crop in 2014 was so distinct and exceptional, they decided to bottle their first-ever single-parcel cuvée.
And they did a fine job keeping it confidential all this time: When we toured the estate in 2018 and tasted through the entire lineup, Sophie Déthune kept her lips tightly sealed, even after I asked what new projects she had brewing. Truth be told, I didn’t find out about this rare bottling until months ago! So how much was produced? Just seven barrels of wine, of which vinified slowly and aged quietly/secretly in their chalk for over five years. When all was said and done, 167 cases were released for the entire world—10 made it to America, and seven into our fortunate hands. Up to four bottles per person, two gets you complimentary Ground Shipping.
[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 vigilant!]
Champagne Paul Déthune is a Récoltant-Manipulant, 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 wine 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 farmed acres throughout Ambonnay, and they’re extremely adamant about sustainability: natural fertilizers are used; cover crops are planted; solar panels and rainwater collection systems are installed.
The Déthunes’ life commitment to intricate work—from natural farming of Grand Cru vines in Ambonnay to a methodically traditional approach in the winery—is on full display in each bottle of their handcrafted wine. But what makes today’s grand debut such a thrilling affair and instant classic is its location! A tiny portion of Déthune’s Pinot Noir comes from old, self-owned vines in “Les Crayères,” easily one of Champagne’s most hallowed vineyard sites, and for the first time ever in 2014, they decided to bottle it separately. About time!
Grapes for this special cuvée were hand-harvested at ripe levels and fermented (both alcoholic and full-malolactic) in 205-liter French oak barriques for a long vinification that extended into April of 2015. Following, the wine was bottled without filtration and sent to age in Déthune’s hand-carved, 17th-century chalk cellar for over five years before disgorgement and a five-gram dosage in July of 2020. 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 growers are now using it with the mindset that it creates a more neutral and consistent sweetener.
Pinot Noir reveals its most intense expression from Grand Cru Ambonnay, but when it specifically comes from “Les Crayères” and is bottled by superstar Paul Déthune, an entirely different breed emerges. This 2014 contains a searingly powerful mineral imprint that demands oxygen before first taste. Give it 15 minutes after pulling the cork and ample time in a large Burgundy stem before introducing your senses, and it’ll exponentially reward. In the glass, a deep golden-yellow core with copper tones hints at a serious Pinot Noir, and the aromatics confirm that: Black cherry skin, Damson plum, dried black raspberry, blackcurrant, and red apple roll out, followed by aniseed, crushed stone, chalk, citrus rind, toasted almond, lees, brioche, dried rose petal, and hints of exotic spice. As the carbonation blows off, the palate becomes profound and vinous, full of haunting minerality, delicate oak spice, and an understated savoriness. This is not a rich and voluptuous Champagne, but rather a fierce, muscular beauty loaded to the brim with minerals, tension, and precision. This is to be savored as slowly as possible with serious appreciators of Grand Cru Champagne. It’ll keep 10-15 more years, easily. What a rare treat this is!
