Coteaux Champenois Rouge
Rouge Vieilles Vignes parcelle le Bout de la Ville 2016

The Coteaux Champenois Rouge Vieilles Vignes Le Bout de la Ville by André Heucq reveals the most intimate and least known face of Champagne, its still wines, through Meunier, the grape variety that has always defined the identity of Cuisles and the Vallée de la Marne. The grapes come from a single parcel, planted with vines around 50 years old on average and rooted in silty clay soils rich in illite, a rare green clay that gives the wines depth and mineral tension. Organic conversion, respect for the soil and minimal intervention guide a project that restores to Meunier its full dignity as a great red wine grape.

This edition, 2016 harvest, comes from a challenging season, marked in spring by frost and disease pressure and then redeemed by a hot, sunny summer that ripened concentrated grapes from low yields. Made entirely from Meunier grapes, the wine undergoes vinification and fermentation with indigenous yeasts after a long maceration on the skins, followed by maturation in oak barrels and bottling without fining or filtration.

On tasting, this Coteaux Champenois Rouge shows a bright ruby colour with garnet highlights and a fine, layered nose recalling cherry, raspberry and small red berries, enriched by hints of undergrowth, pepper and sweet spice woven into delicate toasty notes from the oak. On the palate it reveals a lean and elegant structure, supported by vibrant freshness and fine, silky tannins, with a savoury touch that brings energy and depth. The finish is long and refined, with returns of red fruit and earthy notes that close in a harmonious balance between finesse and character. Production in a limited run of 600 numbered bottles.