Coteaux Champenois Perpétuité – Drappier

Coteaux Champenois Perpétuité – Drappier

93/100 JS

PERPÉTUITÉ draws its unique character from a "perpetual reserve," a large oak cask replenished each year with a proportion of new wine that refreshes the blend of previous vintages. This solera comprises 17 vintages, from 2002 to 2023, and its name evokes the monastic and carceral past linked to the Clairvaux abbey-prison. Here, the audacity of the young wine converses with the wisdom of the older vintages, like cellmates for whom time is no longer a constraint. The complexity of Perpétuité is comparable to a photograph taken with a shutter left open for a long time: it captures multiple temporalities, those of the centuries-old casks in the Tronçais forest and those of the numerous wines, some of which have been aged for nearly 20 years.

A 100% Pinot Noir wine vinified as a white wine, descended from the grey wines of the 17th century, Perpétuité displays brilliant golden hues. The nose opens with floral notes reminiscent of white Burgundy, while the palate combines freshness and roundness, with hints of vanilla and subtle toast. The finish, centered on a gentle bitterness, reveals a pronounced minerality and a terpene structure. James Suckling awarded it 93 points, highlighting its intense nose of red fruits, blood oranges, and cloves, followed by caramel, vanilla, and brioche, and its vinous and flavorful palate, with creamy bubbles from organically grown grapes.