Adrien Renoir Les Epinettes Extra Brut Grand Cru Champagne 2017

As you hear “Tous à bord!” and step onto the high-speed TGV train at the Gard du Nord in Paris, it’s hard to fathom that bucolic wine country is just 90 minutes from the brilliance of the City of Lights and the clamor of Europe’s busiest train station. But very quickly, as the train gains momentum, city streets and suburbs melt away, and rolling green pastures soon give way to tidy vineyards. When you alight in Reims, the quaint capital of the region, you'll have arrived at a sacred site of pilgrimage for wine lovers the world over. Even royalty knew Reims was consecrated- the kings and queens of France were anointed and crowned in the city’s towering, ornate Gothic cathedral for over 800 years. And no ground in Champagne is more hallowed than the hillsides encircling the city to the south and west- the Montagne de Reims. This appellation snakes around the perimeter of Reims, looping down towards Epernay, and contains no fewer than nine Grands Crus villages. Its soils are ideal for flinty yet full-bodied Blanc de Noirs champagne: chalk-based, with striations of loam, lignite, clay, sand, silt, and marl. And unlike the Côte de Blancs, where one finds mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir reigns supreme here; it’s the Louis XIV of the Montagne de Reims- powerful, elegant, and maybe just a little showy.

Adrien Renoir and his father Vincent farm just ten acres of vines in the medieval village of Verzy, population 961, in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. 100% of the vineyards in
Verzy have been designated Grand Crus, and the Renoir family has been tending their little corner of Champagne for four generations. And they do so with great care. Adrien, at just 29 years of age, is already making quite the name for himself in Champagne. Despite his father’s insistence that it couldn’t be done so far north in the region, Adrien succeeded in convincing Vincent to switch to organic farming and they’re now moving toward biodynamic practices. In the cellar, Adrien has adopted more use of oak for fermentation and aging to help round out the bracing acidity of champagne. And finally, he recognized the uniqueness of each parcel of his family’s domaine and began specifically bottling them as single vineyard, or “lieu-dit,” wines. The Renoir champagnes are gorgeous and elegant, crisp yet smooth. They perfectly reflect the Grand Cru terroir that Adrien is working so hard to preserve for future generations.

The 2017 vintage “Les Epinettes” is made from 100% Pinot Noir from an eponymous lieu-dit that was planted over fifty years ago. After a gentle harvest and primary fermentation in neutral oak barrels, the wine was aged on its lees for 36 months to enhance its luxurious creaminess. This champagne entices the nose with notes of fresh apple and blackcurrant, complemented on the palate by a lean, minerally edge. Full, rich, and round, the finish is endless. It’s Grand Cru vintage champagne after all: the wine of kings and the king of wines.