Vincent Couche was one of the first producers to work biodynamically in Champagne, starting back in 1999 (certified as of 2008). While the scientific connection between biodynamics and good wine is not always clear, we do know this: vignerons who practice biodynamics pay very careful attention to their vines, and this is essential for producing the best grapes. Vincent Couche loves his vines and cares for them obsessively.Those vines are marvelously located. He grows Pinot Noir in the part of the Aube where the soils are kimmeridgian, just like you find in Chablis. He grows Chardonnay in the intensely chalky (and flinty!) soils of Montgueux, an isolated corner of Champagne that wouldn't ring a bell with anyone if it weren't for Jacques Lessaigne, who has become famous for his non-interventionist Champagnes.Couche is similarly non-interventionist. He picks late so that his grapes are properly ripe and no chaptalization is required and so that he can keep dosage to an absolute minimum. He ferments his wines with natural yeasts in large neutral barrels and then allows the malos to occur naturally. No pumps are to be found in the winery—everything is by gravity.
Professional Reviews
Wine Enthusiast
Details
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Grape Variety
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Vintage
NV
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Size
750ml
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Farming Practice
Biodynamic
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Style
Elegant , Minerally
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Sweetness
Dry
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Body
Light Bodied
Champagne
Champagne boasts some of the world’s greatest luxury brands with Krug, Cristal and, of course, Dom Perignon. But it’s also home to hundreds of small dynamic producers—farmers who grow their own grapes (often organically) and make (often with natural methods) tiny amounts of pure and absolutely delicious wine that reflect the individual personalities of their villages and terroirs. Toast with these wines, for sure. But also treat them like the great wines they are: taste, drink, explore!
