Wine Advisor
Chartogne Taillet, Hors-Serie Extra Brut 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Extra-Brut Hors Série is especially lifted and aromatic. Chalk, mint, citrus peel, slate and white pepper all take shape in the glass. Chartogne-Taillet fans will find a Champagne of great reserve, tension and nuance. Brisk mineral accents wrap it all together. This ethereal Champagne hits all the right notes. Alexandre Chartogne chose to age the 2020 on capsule and in a more reductive environment than in some other vintages. Dosage is 1 gram per liter. Disgorged: December 2024.
About the Producer
This is a small family domaine producer, with 12 hectares, led since 2006 by Alexandre Chartogne – ‘one of Champagne’s brightest rising stars’.1 Chartogne, whose family have been involved in winegrowing here since at least the 15th century, had learned his craft working for Anslem Selosse. Chartogne uses no chemicals, herbicides or insecticides, instead, focusing his viticulture on ploughing the soil, and maintaining the health in the vineyards through natural fertilizers from sheep and chickens on the property, organic treatments, and the cultivation of cover crops. He is a believer that healthy vineyards are the key to transmitting the terroir of each site, and that is his focus here. Grapes are pressed pneumatically, and fermentation is with native yeasts. (Even the second fermentation is done with retained native yeasts). Primary fermentation is done mostly in 228l and 600l oak, though there is also stainless steel and concrete eggs, and the wines usually go through malolactic fermentation. The house wines here are ‘Cuvée Saint-Anne’ Brut and ‘Le Rosé’ Brut. ‘Cuvée Saint-Anne’ is 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier, a blend from across the vineyards Chartogne works. It is vinified in stainless steel, aged on lees for three years, and made with low dosage. We highly recommend you try this to get a sense of the house style. Quality is very high for the price. The Rosé Brut, a 60% Chardonnay 40% Pinot Noir blend, includes some Pinot Noir from ‘Les Orizeaux’, it is also fermented in stainless steel, and sees two years on lees, and again, low dosage style. It is a vibrant, mineral-driven rosé.
