Suenen Chouilly Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Le Mont-Aigu 2014

Disgorged July 2020

Suenen crafts just a single 600-litre demi-muid of this cuvée, which originates from a parcel of particularly low-yielding vines planted in Chouilly’s renowned Le Mont-Aigu terroir, near the Cramant border on the Butte de Saran. Now 41 years of age, these old vines suffer from fanleaf virus, resulting in tiny leaves, roots and bunches. Coupled with skeletal soils (just 20 cm of topsoil over pure chalk), this results in a deep, yet compact expression of Chouilly unlike any other. Expect a lot of flesh and concentrated ripeness yet also ample structure and intense, saline minerality. 

Suenen’s 2014 was naturally fermented and aged for 10 months in a single 600-litre Stockinger barrel. It then spent five years in bottle before disgorgement in July 2020. Following a dosage trial (the standard practice here), it was topped with four grams per litre.

“The 2014 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Chouilly Le Mont-Aigu is a touch less marked by its Stockinger barrel than its 2013 predecessor, and it's all the better for that, unwinding in the glass with notions of pear, crisp stone fruit, white flowers, almond paste and candied citrus peel. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's intense and saline, with a layered core of fruit and a long, mineral finish.” 94+ points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate