Salima et Alain Cordeuil ‘Origines’ Brut Nature Champagne, France 2018

Vintage:2018

Grapes:Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Salima and Alain Cordeuil are a young winemaking couple are based in No-les-Mallets, just to the east of Landreville in the Aube subregion in Champagnes extreme south. They farm just over 4 hectares of organic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines and produce around 10,00 bottles annually. They began the organic conversion process after taking over their vines in 2011, and the domaine has been certified since 2015.

To complement their dedication to organic farming, the Cordeuils focus on minimal intervention, no dosage, and long sur-latte aging to extract a tense, precise, and delicate harmony in their wines. Like their neighbor Cdric Bouchard, the wines do not slap one over the head with their brilliance but edge the drinker towards their profundity over the course of a bottle drunk slowly throughout a meal. Their entry-level cuve, Origines, is aged entirely in stainless steel tanks, while their single varietal and parcellaire cuves are aged in a combination of tank and large wooden foudres. All of their wines are then aged in bottle for 3-5 years before disgorgement. None of their wines have any added dosage. These are serious, vinous Champagnes, which manage to simultaneously convey a joyful, vibrant expression of their terroir while remaining technically strong and highly age worthy.