Chartogne-Taillet - Chemin De Reims Extra-brut Blanc De Blancs Champagne 2020 (750ml)
Price: $116.00
| Producer | Chartogne-Taillet |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 11175 |
| Size | 750ml |
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
Chartogne-Taillet?s 2020 Blanc de Blancs Chemin de Reims disgorged in October 2024 with a dosage of 2.5 grams per liter is another success. It opens with vivid aromas of fresh apricot grapefruit zest and jasmine mingling with a note of roasted hazelnut. As ever the fruit is drawn from the south-facing vineyard planted between 1986 and 2005 in sandy iron-rich terrain. Vinification takes place in seasoned 228-liter barrels (which Chartogne purchase new) with a modest proportion of new oak. While the 2019 vintage leans toward a richer almost Pinot Noir-like side stylistically the 2020 is a paragon of Blanc de Blancs: taut mineral-driven and electrifying. The palate is tightly wound and medium- to full-bodied with mouthwatering acidity ample chalky extract and a long precise finish. Based in the village of Merfy in the Montagne de Reims Alexandre Chartogne has been at the helm of his 11-hectare family estate since 2006 and has quickly become one of the grower Champagne movement?s most important figures. It is symbolic that the first wine Chartogne produced is Les Barres made from old ungrafted pre-Phylloxera vines. "It was Anselme Selosse who taught me that a winegrower's responsibility is to understand his terroir. So I came home to Merfy and started digging holes" recounts Alexandre Chartogne. He discovered that his soils were very different from those of the Côte des Blancs finding inter-fingering layers of marine sands loess sandstone and clay in around 10 different configurations in his different parcels. Those soil variations he noted corresponded to the delimitation of Merfy's climats and looking back to the village's pre-revolutionary history Chartogne attributes that precision to the Benedictine monks who once farmed this region?harking back to a terroir-focused viticultural era when wine growing in Champagne had more in common with wine growing in Burgundy. Today Alexandre Chartogne is working to recapture that spirit through single-site vinification producing six single-vineyard wines from his home village. Recently he also created a Special Edition (Hors Série) from Avize a village where Chartogne acquired his first viticultural and oenological knowledge. Chartogne is a thoughtful man seriously committed to letting each of his various parcels express its own identity. In the vineyards this means prioritizing soil health by avoiding herbicides and synthetic fertilizers (the only non-organic product used is potassium phosphonate for mildew control). His soils are cultivated?half of his parcels are plowed by horse and the other half by a light tractor. In the winery fermentation occurs with native yeasts (although selected yeast is used for the prise de mousse). While he previously vinified some 80% of his wines in wood and the rest in stainless steel since expanding his cellar in 2019 Chartogne now works exclusively with oak barrels. He uses mostly 228-liter barrels and some demi-muids purchasing new barrels from seven different coopers and reusing them which translates in even greater precision. Sulfites are used during pressing and later if any weaknesses are detected. Dosage is minimal and is always determined through blind tastings. All this converts into a vinous incisive style that?s increasingly concentrated and tightly wound. Clearly differentiated by site Chartogne's wines sometimes show a delicate patina from their time in barrel but that tends to integrate with a little bottle age. Like the wines of his mentor Anselme Selosse these are mineral- and soil-driven rather than fruit-forward despite their scale and power. ?The aging and longevity of a wine are tied to the terroir and ripe grapes. The organic components (fruit) will age with time but the mineral components will endure? remarks Chartogne. While the estate focuses on single-vintage single-parcel wines that highlight soil type and vineyard location the range begins with the NV Sainte Anne which is now vinified entirely in barrels like the rest of the wines. The fruit for this cuvée comes from numerous vineyard sites and incorporates some reserve wines. Hors Série derives from several vineyards in Avize mostly located at the lower parts of the slope with the thinnest topsoil ranging from as little as 20 centimeters to one meter in some plots. Exposed mainly to the southeast these vines benefit from ample sun exposure. This is Chartogne?s only wine from the Côte des Blancs and is always made from a single vintage even when not declared. Hors Série combines power and chalky undertones to striking effect. Another wine produced from vineyards outside Merfy is the Saint-Thierry crafted from Chardonnay sourced from the Les Grands Champs lieu-dit in the village of Saint-Thierry. The vines are south and southeast facing situated on hillsides overlooking Reims where the soils are a mix of sand and clay. This is the sunniest site of the estate producing a textural generous wine. The set of Merfy lieux-dits: ? Blanc de Blancs Heurtebise highlights the vineyard's sandy soils with silt and clay components over sandstone made from Chardonnay vines planted between 1980 and 1985. This is the most linear wine in the range and it is even more taut than the Chemin de Reims. ? Blanc de Blancs Chemin de Reims comes from a south-facing single-vineyard site rooted in sandy iron-rich soils with vines planted between 1986 and 2005. It is slightly richer and more textural than Heurtebise the other Blanc de Blancs though they share a common character. ? Blanc de Noirs Orizeaux derives from a vineyard adjacent to Les Barres facing both south and north. Planted with Pinot Noir in 1970 it is defined by 1.6-meter-deep soils with sand and fragmented limestone over chalk bedrock. Textural and ample it is one of the more powerful wines in the portfolio but remains controlled. ? Les Couarres: From a single-vineyard site in Merfy with sandy and clay-rich soils over limestone this Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend is among the most expressive gourmand wines in its youth. In the cellar Les Couarres is more prone to oxidation than Chartogne?s other wines and for that reason barrels are topped up regularly. Expect a textural and concentrated wine that will delight out of the gates. ? Blanc de Noirs Les Barres is the highlight of the Chartogne portfolio and where it all began. For a long time Pinot Meunier has been an underappreciated grape variety but with this magical wine it isn?t simply the cépage?it's the old own-rooted pre-Phylloxera vines that define the wine in the glass combined with the application of Alexandre Chartogne?s methods in the cellar which favor the extraction of the mineral component over the varietal aromas (which mark so many Pinot Meuniers). Sourced from a south-facing site with sandy-limestone soils over Campanian chalk bedrock it is aged for nine months in oak just like the rest of his wines however in this case the barrels aren?t topped up during the winter until March. Expect a full-bodied multidimensional wine with immense concentration and flavor intensity. These are incisive wines of remarkable depth complexity and character crafted by one of Champagne?s most exceptional producers. Every bottling reviewed here merits particular attention. Published: May 08 2025
Vinous: 95 Points
The 2020 Extra-Brut Chemin de Reims is gorgeous. In 2020 the Chemin de Reims is especially airy with an explosive bouquet mid-weight structure and fabulous balance. It is perhaps less rich and concentrated than the 2019 but so classy and also more approachable. The aromatics are really popping today. Chardonnay shines here. Dosage is 2.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 2024. - By Antonio Galloni on April 2025 Alexandre Chartogne is one of the most thoughtful and introspective vignerons in Champagne. Chartogne also takes a lot more risks with his wines than most something that might not be evident because of his soft-spoken demeanor and shy personality. If a wine does not meet his exacting standards he does not bottle it as was the case with the 2020 Heurtebise. Alexandre Chartogne?s framework for Champagne divides wines into those that are composed of mostly mineral matter and those that are predominantly organic and are therefore more vulnerable to decomposition. Mineral wines are vinified and aged with minimal oxygenation. The goal is to preserve that mineral character. Chartogne believes that organic wines are less interesting and more likely to age relatively quickly. His goal is to transform some of their organic matter to mineral though gentle oxidation during élevage. As a result these wines (the Meuniers for example) see more oxygen during their time in barrel.
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