Champagne Roger Coulon Premier Cru Vindemia XXI Brut Nature

The Coulon family has been rooted in the so-called Petites Montagnes south-west of Reims since the 17th century. The family first planted vineyards in the region in 1806, the year that is now the founding date of the house. Marcel Coulon marketed Champagne under his own name for the first time in 1935. His son Roger took over the business, but he died in 1979, not even fifty years old. His son Éric, the current owner, was still a teenager at the time. So the widow Bernadette took over until Éric had completed his schooling and training. And in 1991, Éric Coulon finally took over and founded Roger Coulon et Fils in Vrigny. Together with his wife Isabelle, he quickly made the small house well-known.

The estate owns no less than 115 different parcels on 11 hectares of vineyards. All of them Premiers Crus from Vrigny and the neighboring municipalities of Coulommes-la-Montagne, Pargny-les-Reims, Villers-Allerand and Gueux. With the exception of the aforementioned parcel in Chouilly in the Côtes des Blancs. Historically, Pinot Meunier dominates with 40 percent, some of which are up to 80 years old vines. However, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir now also account for an important share of 30 percent each. The vineyards were converted to organic in 2019. The harvest has been AB-certified since 2022. However, further environmentally friendly and quality-enhancing steps are being taken in the vineyard, such as mass selection, yield reduction and greening the rows of vines. The basic motto is to adapt to nature and not to dictate anything to it. In addition, Louise Coulon has introduced the principles of agroforestry into the business. This is intended to maintain the natural balance in the vineyard and make the vines more resilient.

The vinification process is traditional and gentle. After pressing, the must is briefly pre-clarified. Alcoholic fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts. The wine is clarified naturally, without fining or filtering. Malolactic fermentation usually takes place, although there are now exceptions. Thanks to Edgar Coulon, wooden barrels have increasingly found their way into the cellar, both for aging and fermentation.

The house favors a subtle mousse with a lower pressure of 4.5 instead of the typical 6 atmospheres. Bottle fermentation takes place in the family’s cool underground cellar. Disgorgement is done by hand and the dosage does not exceed the 3-gram mark on any of the family’s cuvées.