ROGER COULON Champagne Extra-Brut 1er Cru 'L'Hommee' NV

94 / 100 Vinous

Coulon's NV Extra Brut L'Hommee 1er Cru is gorgeous. Powerful and ample in the glass, with tremendous resonance, the L'Hommee dazzles with its energy and persistence. Orchard fruit, wild flowers and spice overtones take on shades of exoticism with time in the glass. L'Hommee is is a blend of Pinot Noir, Meunier (done in oak) and Chardonnay (done in steel) from Vrigny and Pargny. This latest release is just fabulous. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: December, 2018. Antonio Galloni

93 / 100 Parker

Based on the 2012 vintage that was bottled at the end of July 2013, the NV Premier Cru Brut L'Hommée displays fine, fresh, pure, delicate and beautifully aromatic fruit and iodine aromas on the complex nose. On the palate, this is a very intense yet fine, elegant, very complex and persistent cuvée, a great mix of attractive and charming fruit with minerality that gives a strong and persistent structure. This is a striking wine, absolutely fabulous. Dosed with three grams per liter in September 2017. Stephen Reinhardt

Eric Coulon is the eighth generation of a family of vignerons that has cultivated vineyards in the premier cru village of Vrigny, Montagne de Reims, since 1806. To pay tribute, the domaine kept the name of Eric's father, Roger Coulon, who died when Eric was 14 years old. Today, Eric and his wife, Isabelle, farm more than 100 parcels of vineyards, which add up to 11 hectares and are spread across six communes, including the Côte des Blancs. "It's a mosaic of plots and parcels, but they virtually all face east, which is important for me because it's the best exposition and the exposition of most of the grand crus," Eric says. He cultivates mainly Pinot Meunier (40%) as well as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in equal parts and keeps the yields very low.

There are two main things that are important to understand the light, discreet, delicate and harmonious style of Roger Coulon.

First, there is no chaptalization, as Eric prefers lower alcohol wines and tends to find Champagnes imbalanced when they exceed 12% alcohol.

Second, he prefers a moderate and elegant spume and pressure. That's why he adds less sugar to start the second fermentation and keeps the pressure at five rather than six atmospheres. "It's the style my grandfather used to cultivate rather than my father," Eric says. In fact, it was his grandfather who trained him to handcraft Champagne like it was done 100 years ago. "Just the dosage is much lower today than it used to be in the old days..." After the press, the must is fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the best wines are aged in tonneaux for up to 24 months before the bottling. There is no stirring of the lees and no fining. After the disgorgement, the cuvées are kept for another six months in the domaine before they are shipped into the different markets.