Rene Geoffroy Cumieres Pinot Noir Coteaux Champenois 2009
(Champagne, France)

Coteaux Champenois is a rare appellation in the Champagne region that produces still red wines. Although less well-known than its sparkling counterparts, its  reputation dates back to the early history of the region. It is really only thanks to the quality of the Terroir that Rene Geoffrey can make red wine at all in Cumieres. The soils, where chalk or clay-chalk dominates in some places, flinty grindstone in others, are perfectly suited to the morello-cherry-tasting Pinots typical of Cumieres.

The task of making a red wine In such a northerly location as that of their vineyard varies in difficulty from one year to the next. That is why their policy is to adjust the quantity of red we make according to the quality of the vintage. Some years they make no Cumieres Rouge at all.

It was Roger Geoffroy who first began to make this wine. Sixty years later,  this producers continues to prove that the Champagne region is also a great Terroir for still red wine.

BLEND: 100% pinot noir (Blend of 3 or 4 years )

Viticulture

SOIL: Clay and lime, with fragments of flint Selection of very early-ripening plots above Cumieres

VINIFICATION:
Harvested and rigorously sorted by hand. Maceration and winemaking in an open oak vat with immersed cap. Matured for 10 months in demi-muid casks and barrels before aging in stainless steel vats, in the cellar at a constant temperature. Malolactic fermentation in barrels; no fining, no filtering.

Tasting Notes

Color: brilliant, deep red. The nose is typical of the Pinot Noirs of the Terroir of Cumieres with some morello cherry (griotte) coming through.

Palate: In the mouth a smooth balance is formed between red fruits and silky, delicate tannins.

PAIRING
The delicate structure of this Cumieres Rouge makes it ideal to accompany white meats (roast veal, guinea fowl). When served at a temperature of 12°C, it goes surprisingly well with some fish dishes, such as turbot with its jus.