Comptoir des Millésimes

Today, we're going to introduce you to one of our partner estates: Adrien Renoir Estate.

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History of the domain :

This estate is located in Verzy, in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. Vincent Renoir has been producing champagnes for 4 generations now. The estate has been handed down from father to son, and is classified as an independent winegrower. The vineyards are mainly located in the commune of Verzy, one of the 17 villages classified as Grands Crus. The grapes are harvested by hand, in order to monitor the ripeness of each plot and ensure high quality. The grapes are pressed directly on the estate, and vinified in stainless steel vats. The wines are aged for several years in the cellar before being sold. In 2014, Adrien finally joined the domaine and decided to launch his own brand "Champagne Adrien Renoir". In 2017 he switched to organic and biodynamic viticulture and officially launched his conversion. Stainless steel vats are now replaced by oak barrels, where fermentation takes place spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged on lees for 11 months, with minimal intervention (no fining or filtration).

 

4 new cuvées were born:

  • Blend: "le terroir", BSA chardonnay pinot noir
  • Lieu-dit: "les Montants" 100% chardonnays
  • Location: "les Epinettes" 100% pinots noirs
  • Lieu-dit: "les Vignes Goisses" 100% pinots meuniers.

Adrien has chosen to vinify different lieux-dits and single varietals each year, to bring out the different aspects of the Verzy terroir to the full, with more to come.

 

The great vintages of Maison Adrien Renoir :

  •  Champagne Adrien Renoir "Les Vignes Goisses " : 

It comes from "Les Vignes Goisses" in Verzy, the Grand Cru village on the Montagne de Reims. It's a vintage from 2016, matured in May 2020, vinified in barrels with a dosage of 0.8 g/L, plus tillage and natural grassing. As fruity as it is fresh, it goes equally well with an aperitif or a meal. This cuvée owes its name to a parcel located in the village of Verzy. Classified as a Grand Cru, the village is located on the mountain of Reims. Thanks to its chalky soils, the grapes are uniquely elegant and pure. Although the majority of Verzy's terroir is pinot noir, this parcel is exceptionally planted with pinot meunier. This champagne comes from the 2016 vintage alone, and was vinified in oak barrels. The dosage is very light and the wine is perfectly balanced. The grapes are taken from the 2016 harvest, with a minimum resting period of 36 months.

 

  •  Champagne Adrien Renoir "Les Epinnettes": 

This is a cuvée from the estate that has been certified organic since 2020. This Brut Nature Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Epinettes 2015 was vinified in barrels and disgorged without dosage in spring 2019. Its expressive bouquet is composed of red apples, smoke, spices and iodine all framed by a deft touch of vanillin and oak. Full-bodied, vinous and concentrated. Textured and muscular, with a racy backbone of acidity. This cuvée comes from the plot known as Les Epinettes, planted with Pinot Noir massal selection in 1971. It should be drunk between 2020 and 2035. It is a blend of 100 % Pinot Noir and also a 2017 vintage. The tirage was made in July 2018 with vinification in barrel and aging on lees. The dosage is 0.8 g / L.

 

  • Champagne Adrien Renoir "Les Montants":

It comes from Lieu dit Les Montants and is composed of 100 % of Chardonnay. (2016) The dosage is 0.8 g / L and the tirage took place on the ground with natural grassing. It was disgorged with a dosage of 3.3 grams per liter (July 2018), The Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru derives from Chardonnay massal selection planted in 1961 and was vinified in stainless steel although Renoir in the 2018 vintage switched entirely to barrel fermentation, so this first release is not really representative of this cuvée's trajectory. The bouquet is pure citrus oil, white flowers and wet stones. It's incisive and tight, with a racy backbone of acidity and a penetrating, mineral finish. Renoir vinified his vins clairs in tank but aged 50 % in barrel. There's more texture and muscle, even beyond what you'd expect from the intrinsically richer vintage. It blends notes of citrus and dried white flowers with toasted almonds and is medium-bodied, broad and chalky with racy acidity and a good grip on the finish.

 

  •  Champagne Adrien Renoir "Le Terroir": 

This Grand Cru is a blend of 100 % of Chardonnay from the hillsides of Verzy, including around 20% of grapes matured in foudre and vinified in barrels. A blend of 100 % of Pinot Noir. The base of the harvest was made in 2018 with 20 % of reserve wines aged in foudre in 2016. The tirage was made in July 2019 with vinification in foudre and ageing on lees. The dosage is 0.8 g/l. Disgorged in May 2019 with a dosage of 2.5 g/l. In the glass, it offers a lovely bouquet of Meyer lemon, custard, yellow pear, dried white flowers and shortbread. It's full-bodied, powerful and vinous, with a textured attack that transforms into a deep, incisive mid-palate followed by an elegant, spiky mousse. It's sharp and beautifully balanced from this promising emerging talent.

We hope you've enjoyed this article, and look out for our other articles on our partner estates.

> Grands Champagnes d'Adrien Renoir in stock

 

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