2015 Suenen Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru La Cocluette Extra Brut

John Gilman 96 – “The la Cocluette single vineyard bottling from Oiry was first produced by Aurelien Suenen in the 2013 vintage. His 2015 version is his finest yet that I have tasted from this parcel of old vine chardonnay. As readers may recall, the vins clairs here are principally barrel-fermented and given fully nine months of elevage in cask prior to bottling up for secondary

fermentation. The 2015 was disgorged in October of 2021 after five years on the fine lees and

finished with a dosage of five grams per liter, which is two grams higher than the racy 2014

received. The wine is utterly stunning out of the blocks, with the bouquet soaring from the glass

in a complex blend of pear, passion fruit, a hint of tangerine, a superb base of limestone

minerality, bread dough and just a whisper of buttery oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off stunning depth at the core, with laser-like focus, elegant mousse,

impeccable balance and a very, very long, complex and utterly seamless finish. This is finest

wine I have yet tasted from Aurelien Suenen!”