I’m a Grower, not a Show-er: Edition 7

The estate of Champagne Roger Coulon has been producing wine since 1806 in the village of Vrigny in the Montagne de Reims. For 9 generations now, the Coulons have been crafting Champagnes, with Eric & Isabelle Coulon now joined by their children Louise and Edgar. The entire estate has been organic since 2019 – a representation of their continued progression as an estate. Heri-Hodie (meaning ‘yesterday and today’) is their expression of the link between the generations of the family and their continued passion for wine over the centuries. It is a blend of 50% Meunier, 25% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, from the Premier Cru villages of Vrigny, Coulomne and Pargny. It spends at least 3 years on lees, which is much longer than the region’s average time & legal requirements for a non-vintage Champagne. The wine receives a low dosage of around 2g/L to retain their purity of the individuality of the villages that make up the blend. 

While it may be a domaine that has been overshadowed by other grower producers in the past, the future is one of renewed vigour and interest towards Roger Coulon.    

The west of the Champagne region has for a long time been a bit of “no man’s land”. Large houses sourced mediocre quality grapes to help bulk production. However, recently, as with so many places throughout Champagne, the recent generations of growers have shown a renewed vigour in expressing the true capabilities of their own specific terroirs. Christophe Mignon is one such example based in Le Mesnil-le Huttier, a village in prime territory for growing Meunier in the Vallée de la Marne. Meunier, also known as Pinot Meunier, draws its name from the French word for miller, in reference to its flour-like dustiness that appears on the underside of its leaves. 

It has long been the ‘poor cousin’ to the noble Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the region, but in the right hands, has demonstrated its potential and full capabilities. Christophe’s approach to demonstrating the full capabilities of his vineyards focus on not just biodynamically driven viticulture but also phytotherapy, homeopathy and geobiology practices. All work, in both the vines and the cellars, is done in accordance with the stages of the moon. 

The Pur Meunier (meaning “pure Meunier”) is a blend from the villages of Festigny and Le Breuil, both known for their Meunier production, with an average age of 45 years for the vines which is well above average for Champagne. Each parcel of grapes is vinified individually and kept separate until blending for bottling the following year to see the unique characters of the plots and how they can be best expressed through his Champagnes. It spends around 3 years on lees, which is the legal requirement for vintage Champagne and almost twice the average length for most non-vintage Champagnes. This results in a complex and textural expression whilst still retaining Meunier’s characteristic fruit driven nature. Being a Brut Nature means that no sugar is added at dosage, as Christophe does not wish to mask the quality of the grapes with which he works. 

The future of Meunier shows a lot of promise and potential, with Christophe Mignon amongst the top flight of its producers. 

With a history in the region dating back past 1687, the Tarlant family have a presence that has helped shape the Champagne region into what it is today. At the turn of the 20th century, Louis Tarlant was the mayor of the village of Oueilly, where the estate is still based. He contributed to the formation of the appellation laws for the AOC in 1911 and the establishment of the AOC laws for Champagne in 1927. Following this, he vowed to not sell grapes off to the large houses, making them amongst the first 10 independent estates of Champagne. Now in its 12th generation, brother and sister Benoît and Melanie proudly continue their family;s legacy. Their father, Jean-Mary, focused the estate’s production on zero dosage Champagnes – a concept largely unheard of at the time. Working with fully ripe grapes and long times on lees, they were able to produce Champagnes that did not require added sugar at disgorgement for balance. Its lack of dosage is where they draw the name Zero for this cuvée. It is a blend of equal parts of Chardonnay, Meunier and Pinot Noir, which is initially fermented in Burgundian barrels to add richness and complexity, and utilises fruit across all 62 parcels of the domaine. They believe in working as minimally as possible,without the use of fining or filtration agents and working with only organic methods in the vines. 

Tarlant is a true pioneer of the zero dosage movement which has swept Champagne, with years of experience and knowledge to have perfected a method which others are only just beginning to understand.