A bigger-is-better Grand Cru Champagne is on the menu for today. Determined to get over my birthday blues, I’m celebrating at Coupes, a chic bubble-centric wine bar in Dallas.
Coupes has an eye-popping list that includes–by my quickest count–more than 80 different Champagnes and Crémants by the glass, bottle, and half-bottle. I rattle off some Champagne preferences and a price range, and the somm thoughtfully matches me with this bodacious bottle from Bouzy.
A medium gold color with a pretty, warm peach hue. The nose has full, fruity aromas of black cherry, plum, toast, yellow apricot, cherry-almond and (when slightly warmer) dried-fruit notes of yellow raisin and dried apricot.
The texture is round and rich with abundant stone fruit and berry fruit. Flavors of cherry, plum, apricot, and cherry blossom are joined by candied orange peel and light coriander spice. (Lees character is more evident on the nose than the palate.) The generosity of fruit is offset by modest Brut dosage (~6g/L), and crisp but not aggressive acidity. Its slightly elevated alcohol is consistent with its vinous, full-bodied style.
Sparse, slow, and fine bubbles seem suspended in the fullness of the wine and deploy themselves on the tongue rather than the nose. The finish is of moderate length, balanced, and clean (not overly sweet, lees-y, or mineral). As the red-fruit flavors fade, they’re replaced with beautiful, pronounced florality–cherry blossom and even rose.
This Blanc de Noirs is from 100% Pinot Noir, with lovely intensity, weight, and an appealing youthful freshness. The current release was disgorged in December 2023. I would love to taste it again in a few more years when it may develop more delicious nutty/dried fruit character in bottle.
Barnaut is a Pinot Noir-focused grower Champagne house with approximately 11 hectares in the Grand Cru villages of Bouzy, Ambonnay and Louvois. Fifty percent of each years crop is saved as reserve wine. All of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. Their non-vintage Bouzy Blanc de Noirs was first produced in 1995 and amounts to about 1,650 cases per year.
Bottle: Champagne Barnaut Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut (NV)
Variety: Pinot Noir (100%)
ABV: 12.5%
Suggested retail: $75.99
My rating: 9.3 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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