{"product_id":"chartogne-taillet-chemin-de-reims-2020","title":"Chartogne-Taillet Chemin de Reims 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlanc de Blancs in Champagne usually means chalk, and it usually means the Côte des Blancs. Chemin de Reims is neither. The parcel sits in Merfy, a village in the Massif de Saint-Thierry northwest of Reims, well outside the slopes that get attention, and its soil is sand, iron-rich and free-draining. Merfy as a whole is a patchwork of chalk, clay, sandstone, limestone and sand, which is why Alexandre Chartogne treats his thirteen parcels as thirteen separate wines rather than components of a blend. Chemin de Reims occupies a south-facing slope in the southern part of the village, planted to Chardonnay between 1986 and 2005. The vineyard was first named in writing in the ninth century. Sand here gives Chardonnay aromatic lift and a finer, less rigid structure than chalk does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChartogne-Taillet Chemin de Reims 2020 is a vintage-dated single-parcel Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay, finished as Extra Brut. Fermentation and aging take place in 228-liter barrels that the estate buys new and then keeps in rotation for years, so only a small share of the wood is new in any one year. The barrel work builds texture without leaving oak flavor behind. Each parcel ferments separately on its own native yeasts. Dosage is 2.5 grams per liter and this release was disgorged in October 2024. Fresh apricot, grapefruit zest, jasmine, roasted hazelnut, then a tightly wound medium to full body, driving acidity, chalky extract and a long, precise finish. The 2020 harvest was among the earliest ever recorded in Champagne, hot and dry, with small crops of clean fruit and no botrytis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChartogne-Taillet is the only récoltant-manipulant left in Merfy, which tells you how far off the map this village sits. Alexandre Chartogne has run the domaine since 2006 and rebuilt it around parcel identity instead of a house style: each site ferments and ages in whatever vessel suits it, barrel, concrete egg or underground tank, and nothing is standardized across the cellar. The vineyards have been worked organically since 2002 without certification, with chickens and sheep in the rows, roughly half the estate plowed by horse, and no synthetic herbicides or pesticides. Beyond the Merfy parcels, the family farms small holdings of Chardonnay in Avize and Oger. This is the strongest argument anyone in Champagne is currently making that sand can stand alongside chalk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe texture here wants food with some richness to push against. Roast a whole chicken with lemon under the skin and a lot of thyme, and the acidity cuts the fat while the hazelnut side of the wine meets the browned skin. Scallops seared hard in butter and finished with brown butter and capers work on salinity. A plate of raw oysters with nothing but lemon is the simplest test and the wine passes it. For something heartier, try a risotto with leeks and parmesan, where the barrel texture and the rice meet in the middle. This is the bottle to open when you want Champagne to be the meal rather than the toast.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67575131603167,"sku":null,"price":130.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9270412.jpg?v=1790548337","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/products\/chartogne-taillet-chemin-de-reims-2020","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}