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93 WA.
"From an ungrafted Pinot Noir vineyard planted in 1973 (on sandy soils) and picked on September 25th at 11.2 potential alcohol, the 2012 Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru les Francs de Pied offers very clear, fresh, precise and delicate fruit on the nose. Fermented 100% in used oak barrels, this is a pure, highly finessed, very elegant and terribly salty Pinot Noir with a very long, complex yet pure, tensioned and very long finish. This is well structured and persistent. Nicolas Maillart is the ninth generation of the 16-hectare domaine in Ecueil, which has an almost 300-year-old tradition. The family has holdings in premier cru and grand cru villages such as Bouzy, Eceuil and Villers Allerand (Montagne de Reims). The vineyards contain a high proportion of Pinot Noir (75%) together with Chardonnay and, for three years now, also Petit Meslier. Maillart also cultivates an old family plot of non-grafted Pinot Noir that was re-planted in 1973 with mass selections from the pre-phylloxera era. Les Francs de Pied is just produced in outstanding vintages such as 2012. It's the highlight of the range I tasted from Nicolas and absolutely worth a try! Sustainable viticulture and plowing the soils are benchmarks at the domaine. Vinification and maturing are carried out either in vats or in barrels, depending on the source of the grapes. Also the reserve wines are partly matured in barrels to increase their complexity. The annual production is 130,000 bottles. The cuvées from Nicolas Maillart were imported by Peter Weygandt, but he is currently looking for a new importer." Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate #238, Aug 2018 |