R. H. Coutier 'Cuvee Tradition' Brut Grand Cru Champagne

92 Points John Gilman

The current release of R. H. Coutier 'Cuvée Tradition' non-vintage Brut is from the base year of 2017 and includes forty percent reserve wines in the blend. It is crafted from a cépages of seventy-five percent pinot noir and twenty-five percent chardonnay. The vins clairs go through full malolactic fermentation and the wine was disgorged in June of 2023, after more than five years aging sur lattes. It was finished with a dosage of six grams per liter. The wine delivers a superb bouquet of apple, nectarine, chalky minerality, wheat toast, dried flowers and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and mineral-driven, with a lovely core of fruit, good focus and grip, elegant mousse and a long, complex and seamlessly balanced finish. This is excellent non-vintage Brut.