Maillart Champagne Les Coupes 1er Cru Pinot Noir Franc de Pied 2018

Maillart Champagne Les Coupes 1er Cru Pinot Noir Franc de Pied 2018 is a rare and characterful Blanc de Noirs from one of Champagne’s most respected grower-producers. Crafted entirely from ungrafted Pinot Noir vines (franc de pied), it offers a vivid, unfiltered expression of grape and place that is increasingly hard to find in the region. Sourced from a single Premier Cru site, this 2018 vintage marries depth and precision in a style that will appeal to serious Champagne lovers and adventurous drinkers alike.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, Les Coupes 2018 shows a luminous pale gold hue with delicate copper highlights, animated by a fine, persistent bead. The nose opens with ripe orchard fruits—think yellow apple, pear, and mirabelle plum—layered with wild red berry nuances, citrus zest, and hints of crushed chalk, brioche, and subtle spice. On the palate, this Champagne is both incisive and generous: pure Pinot Noir fruit delivers juicy red and yellow stone fruits, blood orange, and a whisper of raspberry, wrapped in a creamy yet tensile texture. A distinct mineral backbone and precise acidity keep everything lifted and focused, leading to a long, saline finish with notes of pastry and dried flowers. While already expressive and harmonious now, it has the structure to evolve beautifully over the next 6–10 years, gaining complexity and tertiary nuances with time in the cellar.

Production
Les Coupes is sourced from a Premier Cru terroir in the Montagne de Reims area of Champagne, where chalk and limestone-rich soils give the wines their hallmark tension and minerality. The Pinot Noir vines used here are planted franc de pied—on their original rootstock rather than being grafted—allowing for a particularly pure and direct expression of the variety and site. Harvesting is typically done by hand to ensure careful selection of perfectly ripe, healthy grapes. In the cellar, the must is gently pressed to preserve finesse, then vinified with a focus on highlighting terroir over manipulation, using temperature-controlled fermentations and extended maturation on the lees to build texture and complexity before the long second fermentation and aging in bottle.

Food & Serving
This Champagne’s depth and structure make it a superb match for refined dishes such as tuna tartare, salmon sashimi, scallops, or lobster, as well as poultry in light cream sauces and veal carpaccio. It also pairs beautifully with charcuterie, aged cheeses like Comté or Gruyère, and mushroom-based dishes that echo its earthy-mineral nuances. Serve well-chilled but not ice-cold, ideally at 8–10°C (46–50°F), to allow the aromatics to open. A short 15–20 minutes in a decanter or in the glass can further enhance its complexity, especially as the wine continues to gain texture and nuance with a bit of air.

Producer
Nicolas Maillart is a highly regarded grower-producer based in the Montagne de Reims, with family roots in Champagne viticulture that stretch back several generations. The estate focuses primarily on Pinot Noir from Premier Cru and Grand Cru villages, producing characterful Champagnes that are firmly anchored in their terroirs. Known for meticulous vineyard work, sustainable practices, and a thoughtful, detail-oriented approach in the cellar, Nicolas Maillart has earned a strong reputation among Champagne enthusiasts and critics alike for wines that combine precision, intensity, and authenticity. Les Coupes Franc de Pied represents one of the domaine’s more distinctive expressions, highlighting both the uniqueness of ungrafted vines and the quality of its Premier Cru holdings.

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