The Champagne Guide : Tyson Stelzer
- Sainte Anne 93 points : Fresh and harmonious as I’ve seen it …
- Rosé : 94 points : A wafting and elegant bouquet sings with Rosehip, strawberry hull, red cherries and pomegranate, while the palate strikes a wonderful contrast between red fruit generosity and lively acid core of 2008.
- Orizeaux :95/100 : Tactically utilising the fine chalk mineral texture of its limestone subsoils, beautifully balanced low dosage and classic 2008 acidity to create and electric finish to a deep and generous stryle …
- Heurtebise : 91 points : With accessible chalk, this site expresses itself in pronounced mineralmouthfeel, wich tussles with the reductive character ot sainless stell fermentation to produce a very textural wine, creamy and savoury.
Résolument soucieuse de la qualité, la maison Chartogne-Taillet bénéficie de très vieilles vignes et compte même des vignobles sans porte greffe …
- Les Barres 2006 : 90 points
Alexandre Chartogne, un jeune passionné de parcelles à Merfy.
Même si le domaine n’est pas certifié en Bio, le mode de culture respecte l’environnement : chevaux de plus en plus utilisés pour éviter le tassement des sols, moutons pour décompacter, aérer le sol et apporter de l’engrais. De même en cuverie …
- Les Barres 2009 : 15/20 : Meunier franc de pied, nez généreux ave des notes de noix, d’amande, de rhum, de nougat, le tout presque dans l’exotisme selon l’un des dégustateurs. Bouche à la fois riche, tendue …
Guide Revel 2014, Champagne et Autres Bulles
- Orizeaux : 17/20 Un Pinot Noir déroutant et accrocheur, qui offre au nez des notes de confiture de fruits jaunes, puis des parfums de miel très nets et très intenses.
- Fiacre : 16/20 : Expressif au nez, très Champenois (craie, tilleul, anis), axé à l’ouverture sur des aromes d’amandes fraiches, de thé, d’agrumes qu’on retrouve dès l’attaque en bouche, juste assez acidulée et mordante pour ouvrir l’apétit.
Gerhard Eichelmann : Champagne Larousse
Schon im 16. Jahrhundert war ein gewisser Fiacre Taillet Winzer in Merfy. Im 19. Jahrhundert zog Oscar Chartogne nach Merfy une erwarb seine ersten Weinberge. Seine Enkelin Marie und Etienne Taillet heirateten ein halbes Jahrhundert später und seither heisst das Haus Chartogne-Taillet
- Sainte Anne ****
- Orizeaux 2007 *****
- Barres 2007 *****
- Barres 2008 : *****
- Chemin de Reims 2009 *****
- Heurtebise 2007 *****
Guide Bettane Desseauve 2013 / 2014 :
- Les Barres 17,5/20 : 100% Meunier avec des vignes franches de pied, voilà des ingrédients de cevin aux flaveurs d’orange sanguine nuancées de notes fumées. La bouche se révèle dense et dynamyque, de quoi caresser une géline de Touraine
- Orizeaux 17/20 J: Sur dessablesprofonds, cette cuvée 100% Pinot Noir offre ne bouche goûteuse avec de la densité et de délicieux accents de fruits rouges.
Alexandre Chartogne a le timbre doux. Ses vins vibrent de la même raisonnance, d’une texture de bouche d’une délicatesse magistrale. A deux pas de Reims, à Merfy, sur le massif de Saint Thierry, le jeune homme d’à peine 20 ans biberonné à l’école Selosse n’a pas tardé à sortir du lot …
Les Barres 2008 : Issu de la vendange 2008 et d’une parcelle de vignes de meunier non greffées qui donnent peu de raisins, ce chapagne déliat a su tirer toute sa dimension de ces terrains profonds. Le toucher de bouche est très doux, salin et fin, c’est ça que j’aime. Il faut le laisser vieillir et le déguster avec un vieux parmesan ou un plat au safran.
Wine Advocate : Robert Parker :
Les Alliées 2008 : 92/100 Representing a new cuvee from a relatively clay rich site planted entirely to Meunier, the Chartogne-Taillet 2008 Extra Brut Cuvee Les Alliees smells remarkable in its mingling of noble fungus, parsnip, and caraway (…) This should prove highly versatile at table as well as fascinating to follow over the next 3-6 years. -
Vinous Media : Antonio Galloni
Orizeaux 2008 : 92/100 The 2008 Extra-Brut Cuvée Orizeaux (Pinot Noir) is another gorgeous wine. Dark red berries, licorice, menthol and hazelnut all flesh out in a striking Champagne endowed with tons of balance and class. (…) This bottle was disgorged in July 2013.
Alliées 2008 : 94/100 : The 2008 Extra-Brut Cuvée Les Alliées (Pinot Meunier) is beautifully textured from start to finish. Dried pears, hazelnuts, wild flowers and mint all flesh out in a creamy, generous wine endowed with gorgeous depth and persistence. ( …) This is a fabulous showing from Alexandre Chartogne. The Alliées was done in neutral oak barrels. This bottle was disgorged in July 2013
It is time for four of our Champagnes to be released from our cellars. Following are my impressions of these wines from the 2008 harvest, now being shipped to our customers.
Les Barres:
The house's blessed parcel has given us a wine that pleases with its rich and captivating personality. My personal favourite from this vintage, it is full-bodied, perfect for friendly moments of conversation and sharing. Nature has kindly left her mark by providing me with ripe grapes; this wine evokes their juicy red skin, textured rather like that of a peach. Generous, it reveals notes of citrus, especially oranges, underpinned by a subtle acidity that restrains this delicious wine before it goes too far. The antithesis of strict, authoritarian Champagnes, a charcoal sketch rather than pen and ink, it leaves us nothing but good memories.
Les Alliées:
An impetuous wine notable for its tautness and length on the palate. The freshness of wines from clay soil makes for a fine structure on the palate with its acidity, distinguished on the tongue and cheeks, expressing a minerality that plays on its bitter notes. It is distinct from the Pinot Meunier of our village – growing quite comfortably in warmer, drier land – that we are accustomed to tasting here in Merfy. Les Alliées is a parcel farther from the centre of Merfy, near Chenay, a lesser-known, wealthier village. That fits my image of this wine, which retains its acidity, pulls in its stomach and is proud of its culture. But, in the company of friends, it calms down and regains its humility, giving us a moment of pleasure.
Les Orizeaux:
A paragon of reason, ennobled by the character of its Pinot Noir, it requires and inspires respect. After the light-hearted and affable wines, Les Orizeaux, well organised, shows the way, with fruit opening into a harmonious, well-balanced acidity. Powerful but subtle, it fills the mouth with a combination of ripe fruit and the minerality that distinguishes this parcel. Its personality is revealed through the facets of the fine and delicate Pinot Noir varietal, which, like the vines, demands expertise and precision to permit this grape and this wine to fully express their character. As discussions accompanied by this wine are meant to be more profound, it can be enjoyed by itself or served at the end of a meal, with the cheese.
Chemin de Reims:
It fascinates. Like a storyteller, it recounts how the different levels of its soil were formed and how its vines cleverly choose the notes they prefer. Planted with Chardonnay, Chemin de Reims is a parcel that brings us an expression of its calcareous sand, some layers slightly pink from the iron they contain. These vines, on land overlooking the southern parcels of Merfy, are sheltered by the first houses of the village. The climate suits them well and they bear early, always yielding the fastest growing and most imposing fruit. This parcel is like a history book about Merfy, beginning with the first planting in the ninth century: one of the first vineyards in Champagne recognised for its wine, then known as "in Remis."
The cuvées released from our cellar in 2013 have been reserved by wine merchants, long-time customers, importers and restaurants that serve our wines. I apologise to others who wish to obtain them from us, as this is unfortunately impossible.
From Japan to France, the press is active to speak about our work and our wines.
A satisfaction for us, who always work hard to help the plants and the soils to be healthy and "alive"
Here are those two reviews, for those who speaks ... French and Japan
Download available here : Téléchargement Winart#65
Aligato !
I wish you a very nice beginning of 2012 !
Alexandre Chartogne
We wish you all a nice and happy new 2012 year !
2011 was a nice and sunny year, with high temperatures, certainly one of the warmest year of the 100 past years. The harvest began at the end of August, and gave us very nice fruits and wines. We're actually waiting to taste those, to know the evolution and the potential of this vintage. Not bad, for sure.
Here is a picture to celebrate this new year. All the winegrowers of the family wish you a very nice year. From the left to the right : Roger chartogne, Philippe Chartogne, Alexandre and Roger Chartogne, Eloi Chartogne (born in 2010).
PS : For those who understand french, there are more details (1712 and 1812 harvest explained by my ancesters) on the french version of my weblog, sorry for this, the translation were too hard ...
Happy new year !
Some articles about us :
La Revus du vin de France : Juillet Aout / Novembre
Cuisine et Vins de France : Septembre Octobre
Grand Guide des Vins de France Bettane / Desseauve : 2011 : Mon guide annuel pour choisir au mieux mes vins ...
Secrets of the sommeliers : Rajat Parr : I highly recommand this book if you live in the US, very interesting notes about the tasting and the wines from many regions
Guide Euvrard Garnier 2012
Since the 20th century, the viticulture discovered the industrialisation of his work. The first machines appeared to help the men in his everyday work. For this period, and for a easier work, the men decided to plant his vines in lines, not “en foule”, to improve the time spent in the vines, and the efforts to produce a work. Less work for more production of grapes …
But generally, the men need to work hard to obtain the best. The hand work or the horse work helps the soil to stay alive. The compaction of the very heavy machines actually shows us a deep impact on our soils, and on the plants health. The roots of the vines stays up, the water stays on the top of the soil, have difficulties to go through … And if there is something important, it is the capacity of the soil to let the water go deep, and that the roots takes the subsoil elements for stronger and more complex wines.
That impact makes us change our work in the vineyard. We decided this year to make all the ploughings without machines, but with a horse. The horse offers many advantages. He do not compact the soil, do not pollute the atmosphere, and helps the winegrower to stay in contact with the nature, without this industrial noise of motors. This work has a real good impact on our vineyard, but also on our spirit condition. We reduce the stress, and grow the pleasure of our work. We see the evolution of the soil and of the plants each time we walk behind the horse. This vision is really helpful to understand the condition of each Parcel. That’s one of our revolution in Merfy for 2010 …
The magazin Fine Champagne have made some tastings for some month and years now.
This magazin presents a very nice and professionnal vision of the wines from my region. Essi Avelan, the lady who writes for this very nice mag, is a master of wine, the highest and most difficult grade to obtain in the wine world.
During those blind degustations, we're happy to see our wines in a good position, with high ratings.
Here are those notes :
Rosé : 1st with BillecardSte Anne Brut : 8th / 100
Les Barres : 93 pts
Dégustation of "The best Champagne in the world" : 10th / 1000
I let you some scans of this degustation.
Fiacre :
Le Rosé
Cuvée Sainte Anne Brut
Les Barres
You'll find here more details about this magazin that all Champagne lover should receive at home : European Fine Mag
Terry, we thank you for the good job you do for us, and also for the German and Austrian great rieslings. The artisan wine growers would like more guys like you all over the world.
The day began normally, we prepared the command for France, and then prepared ouselves to go in the vines.
But suddently, Franck, our employee, told me that an animal just entenred in my house.
Something not too big, and that doesn't seems too agressive for us.
With courage, we all walked to the house, to watch what kind of aggressive and dangerous foreigner it was.
... A fawn, nice and sweet, who looked terrified, serching for his mother ...
A big responsibility for all of us, we had to take care of him, and not to let him be scared of the situation.
The fawn just goes out from the house, and passes in front of us, as if he didn't saw us.
At this moment, I told to my team :
Clement, take the rifle, Franck, turn on the barbecue, I begin to prepare the sauces.
(Bad joke), in reality, I called some specialists of wild animal, to know exactly what to do in this situation. He told me
that the main thing is to take him to the nearest forest, and for sure, we didn't had to touch the fawn (You can imagine how easy it is, to take a fawn outside of the village only with our voices and presence ...
But that's what we have done, it took more than an our, but the fawn came back to its natural house.
We all wish he'll find the way back to his mother, and grow far from the hunter.
We wish you all the best, for the 2008 year !
Allemand : Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!
Anglais : Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Chinois : Shen dan kuai le Xin Nian yu kuai - Shen tan jie kuai le - Xin nian kuaile
Danois : Glædelig Jul og godt nytår
Espagnol : Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Estonien : Rõõmusaid jõulupühi ja head uut aastat!
Finnois : Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!
Flamand : Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Gallois : Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
Hongrois : Kellemes Karácsonyi ünnepeket és boldog új évet kívánok
Irlandais : Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Islandais : Gleðileg jól og farsælt komandi ár!
Italien : Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
Japonais : Meri Kurisumasu soshite Akemashite Omedeto! - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Letton : Priecigus Ziemsvetkus un Laimigu Jaun gadu! - Priecīgus Ziemsvētkus un Laimīgu Jaun gadu!
Lituanien : Linksmų Kalėdų ir laimingų Naujųgų metų
Luxembourgeois : Schéi Krëschtdag an e Schéint Néi Joer
Néerlandais : Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een gelukkig Nieuwjaar - Prettige Kerstdagen en een gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Norvégien/Bokmål : God Jul og Godt Nyttår
Polonais : Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku
Portugais : Boas Festas - Feliz Natal e um Prospero Ano Novo - Boas Festas e um Feliz Ano Novo
Russe : Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom - S nastupaiuchtchim Novym godom i s Rojdestvom Khristovym!
Slovaque : Veselé Vianoce i na zdravie v novom roku!
Slovène : Vesele božične praznike in srečno novo leto
Suédois : God Jul Och Ett Gott Nytt År
Suisse-allemand : A guets Neuis
Tchèque : Přejeme Vám Šťastné a veselé vánoce a šťastný novy rok!
Ukrainien : Srojdestvom Kristovym - Z Novym Rokom ta s rizdvom Hrystovym! - Chtchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Wallon : djoyeus Noyé & bone annéye èt bone santéye
Francais : Bonne Année !
There are people producing wine, who are important for our world, and work.
Alois were one of those, and his illness decided to send him to the sky.
We have lost a big men, his wines will always be present in our memories, and in our glass.
At home, we have a real old history of viticulture and wine. My ancesters were working in the vines since the 17th century in Merfy. The roots of our family are here, and we are planted here for a long time. One of our passion, is to found our origins, and one of the best way to find the feeling and the sensation of our ancestor, is to produce wine as they used to do, 200 years before.
For that, I prepared a barrel to put the grapes in it, to make a vinification like my ancestor. I opened it, and put full grapes from one of our oldest parcel of Pinot Noir 45 years old. A high maturity (11°), with freshness and finesse. Once in the barrel, I pressed it with my feets during 45 minutes, and let the wine in contact with the “raffles and pellicules in French …” to obtain a nice red colour. It took 12 hours to obtain this colour. The fermentations begun 3 days after the press, naturally, without any yeasts (only inoculated yeasts, natural from the vines).
That’s our first Rosé de Saignée, for our … own consummation (in a small barrel called feuillette : 114 liters). We only have to wait now, to let the wine grow alone, and to feel, after a long period what our ancestors were tasting, generations and generations before …
Some pictures of the selection of the grapes and of the press :
We just received this month the new version of Mondo, the first Champagne tasting guide in Germany.
Mr Eichelmann, the writer of this book, is certainly one of the most passionnated person in Champagne I met. He knows each winegrower, and even more, he knows each part of the vines of the Champagne. It’s one of that “journalist” who’s interested in the Champagne, but also in all the environment of viticulture and vinification of the winegrowers.
Like the last year, he wrotes good notes about us, our cuvée Fiacre is one of the three Champagne he likes most. It’s a pleasure to see people who appreciates the soil of Merfy, and our work in the vines and in the cellar. Thank you Mr Eichelmann !
92/100 : Cuvée Fiacre
Concentrated wine, with a fresh nose and a nice and balanced sensation in the mouth. Nice substance in the palet, and a fresh and long finish
91/100 : Cuvée Sainte Anne Rosé
Very nice flowering sensation, and some fruits notes, berries, stawberries ... a Powerfull Champagne in the mouth, with a long and complex presence.
PS : Excuse my translation, German to English .... You can find it in French on http://chartogne-taillet.typepad.fr/france
That was a good idea !
Our Austrian importer organized, last week, a Chartogne-Taillet golf competition. A women competition! Elisabeth, my mother, was a good golf player when she had time to play. But as she always explains, golf takes time, and need to train often to conserve a good playing level.
As she dont play anymore, that’s a pleasure for us to see women playing “with” us. But please, Mister Wagner, next time you organize a tournament, invite me! (I don’t play golf, but I always enjoy watching such a nice competition, as you can see on the pictures …). I really need a training.
Congratulations to all the ladies of this competition, and I wish they enjoyed the game, and I was happy to ear that they enjoyed our Champagne.
German’s mag about CT golf competition : Here
Our Austrians importer : Here
Some people say that Golf means "Gentlement Only, Ladies Forbidden), but ... that's not true !