Champagne Roger Coulon Esprit de Vrigny 1er Cru Brut Nature NV

Eric and Isabelle Coulon are the representatives of the eighth generation of the Coulon family to be engaged as récoltant-manipulants, producing Champagne from Vrigny and the surrounding villages in the northwest corner of the Montagne de Reims. Since 1806, this family has gradually increased its holdings so that there are now 10 hectares under vines, almost all located within the 1er Cru rated villages of Vrigny, Coulommes and Pargny, about 10 kilometers distance from Reims. In terms of their rigorous vineyard management and cellar practices, eighth-generation Eric and, as of late, his bright son Edgar occupy a tiny fringe within a region still largely mired in chemical farming and dominated by the ultra-powerful Grandes Marques: organic viticulture, spontaneous fermentations, low sulfur, and no fining or filtration all allow this estate’s terroirs to speak clearly of the magic that one can encounter on the slopes surrounding Reims.

Coulon is one of only 6 growers in the élite Trait d’Union, an association committed to expressing terroir and working as naturally as possible. The other members, Egly-Ouriet, Larmandier-Bernier, Sélosse, Prévost, and Jacquesson, are lofty company indeed, with prices far higher than Coulon’s. Eric and Edgar’s wines strike an uncanny balance between precision and richness, combining penetrating minerality with the boldness and power these red-grape-dominated terroirs deliver at their best.