N.V. Stephane Coquillette "Cuvée Diane" Blanc de Blancs, Chouilly, Champagne, France (750ml)   

We have sold Stephane Coquillette's regular Brut bottling but this is his Blanc de Blancs, or 100% Chardonnay from estate vines in Chouilly and Cuis, making it a blend of both Grand Cru and Premier Cru fruit. It still has the clean style we've come to appreciate from Coquillette but feels perhaps a but more feminine and deliciate than the Pinot Noir based cuvees.

It finishes with excellent acidity following the creamy texture and fresh apple notes on the medium bodied palate. Stéphane Coquillette is the son of Christian Coquillette who makes the lovely Saint Chamant vintage Champagnes we proudly sell. According to Stéphane, it was his grandmother who was the first to produce Champagne in the Grand Cru village of Chouilly in the Côtes des Blancs. Besides Chouilly, Stéphane also owns Chardonnay vineyards in Cuis, Côtes des Blancs, as well as Pinot Noir vineyards in the Montagne de Reims villages of Äy and Mareuil-sur-Äy. While he can't say he farms his vineyards organically (a relative rarity in Champagne) this is what he says about his farming, "The vines grow on 30 centimeters of topsoil and rest directly on bedrock, chalk that acts as a giant sponge, absorbing water during rains and returning in drought periods. A part of the vineyard is plowed, and the other is covered with organic bark to curb erosion."