Tasting Notes
100% Pinot Noir from En Val Bazot in the southern Champagne region of Les Riceys. It's rare to find such treasures as these in Champagne - still red wine :) It is vinified in concrete with prolonged ageing in barrels and it's all the better for it. Coteaux Champenois Pinot Noir is often tannic and tightly wound so this time in barrel enables the tannins to soften and elongate. A beautifully intricate wine that will benefit from some time in the cellar. - Chris L
Olivier Horiot is an exciting biodynamic grower based in the Cotes des Bar sub-region of Champagne. He and his wife Marie focus mainly on Pinot Noir but have plantings of all 7 permitted Champagne varieties. The Horiot family have owned vines in Les Riceys since the 1600s, but didn't make their first estate wine until the year 2000. Les Riceys is the only village in the Champagne region to hold 3 appelations, Champagne (sparkling), Coteaux Champenois (still red and white), and Rosé des Riceys (still rosé), and Olivier exceeds in making all three categories.
He believes that experimentation is the best way to learn the intricacies of the Les Riceys terroir, and does so through vinifying small parcels separately, using rare varietals such Arbane and Petit Meslier, fermenting in a wide range of vessels, from Burgundian barrels to concrete eggs and stainless steel, and using reserve wines from a solera system for some of his Champagnes.
The wines are fermented with native yeasts, little sulphur is used, and this entire release has zero dosage. The result is terroir focused still and Champagne wines with tension and complexity. - Importer Note
| Product Type | Wine Red Pinot Noir |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Champagne |
| Sub Region | Les Riceys |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |