I love top Champagne. And it certainly has taken me many years to understand the nuance of Pinot Meunier in Champagne, as there are few top bottlings that utilize this varietal. In many years Krug can use roughly 33% Pinot Meunier in their ‘Grand Cuvee’ blend. Billecart-Salmon also makes a delicious 100% Pinot Meunier. Definitely one of the top Pinot Meunier champagnes that you all find in the world, the magnum only and mailing list-only Champagne Christophe Baron are all zero dosage bottlings that showcase 100% Pinot Meunier. The wines from this house seem to just get better and better.
Christophe Baron was born into an exceedingly long line of Champagne vignerons, with a history that dates back as far as 1677. He trained in Avize (Champagne) and Beaune before moving to the United States and founding one of North America’s iconic brands, Cayuse Vineyards. Baron’s estate in champagne includes 3 hectares (7.5 acres) surrounding the villages of Charly-sur-Marne, Crouttes-sur-Marne and the hamlet of Porteron, and its vineyard holdings are made up of only very old parcels of Pinot Meunier.
The wines are powerful and intense. They have serious viscosity and show better in a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc glass, or a Riedel tasting glass. They also need a lot of time when opened and I recommend letting them sit for least 30 minutes prior to consuming. Finally, make sure to not serve these wines cold. They are best served at 42-45 degrees — or warmer! I personally think these wines really hit their sweet spot when they are quite on the warm side, where you can full evoke the full range of flavors and aromatics.
Like 2018, 2019 was another warm vintage in Champagne. Both vintages seem to evoke a more powerful, fleshy profile than the 2017s. Just as I was blown away with the 2018 CCB wines, I can assure you that the 2019s are just as good. They are generous and heady wines that are going to need a lot of air after opening. Here are my reviews of the drop-dead gorgeous 2019 champagnes by Champagne Christophe Baron (mailing list only) and learn more at https://champagnechristophebaron.com/
2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Les Hauts Blanches Vignes’ Champagne- A masterful Champagne made in a warm vintage, the 2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Les Hauts Blanches Vignes’ comes from vines planted back in 1969. This site is extremely steep on a 19 degree slope and sits at roughly 400 feet above sea level on a southwestern exposure. Bright and intense aromatics of guava and pastry crust greet you alongside suggestions of ripe melon fruits. The palate shows a soft mousse and a silky texture with plenty of stony minerality and tension. Showing excellent length, this bottling really needs another year of bottle age — but you can see the incredible potential. Drink 2025-2039- 96
2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Le Dessus Du Bois Marie’ Champagne- Showing its vibrant pink hue in the glass, entirely comprised from Pinot Meunier grapes, the 2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Le Dessus Du Bois Marie’ Champagne is a stunning bottling from this warm vintage. Once on the nose this exudes class with its salty tones alongside bright pear and ginger with bright red fruits. The palate is plush and soft with refined structure and a big sense of weight and mouthfeel. Loads of mouth-watering acidity greets you, with stony and salty accents on the palate. Finishing very long, this is super nuanced, and tension-filled bold Pinot Meunier Champagne. The feeling of weight and finesse makes this display some serious aging potential. Try to resist this beauty for another year or two. Drink 2024-2039- 97
2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Les Alouettes’ Champagne- The brilliant 2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Les Alouettes’ has the same level of depth and concentration as the scintillating 2018 and a displays a hare more than the ’17. It is already a joy to drink in terms of weight, salty presence and wet stone character. Once on the mouth you are greeted to a juicy core of salted melon and citrus fruits with nutty accents. With more air this really comes into it own, reveling in its saline-drenched character. This beauty really needs a decant if savoring in its heady youth. Drink 2025-2039- 97
2019 Champagne Christophe Baron ‘Les Closeaux’ Champagne- Now in its second edition, the Les Closeaux was sourced from a very small, 1.49 acre site in the town of Crouttes-sur-Marne. Amazingly vines for this wine were planted in the mid-1920s. A wine with serious personality, the aromas of quince and ripe nectarine come to mind alongside salted cashew nut and shades of marzipan. The palate is plush and soft with a refined mousse and glorious length with sous bois and flinty accents. As with the other new CCB bottlings from 2019, this really needs another year in the bottle. Drink 2024-2039- 96