We haven’t changed our view of Champagne which is to seek out small, terroir-centric producers. Why? Well while blending Champagne like the big houses do creates a pleasing, and more consistent bubbly, the blending tends to negate the element of place. In our minds, if a Champagne can give you the desired personality and flash an element of terroir, we feel the entire experience is elevated.
Soutiran is a family producer located in Ambonnay. It began in the 1950s when Gerard Soutiran, after retiring from his military career, created this Champagne label based on lands of his wife, Solange. The third generation, in the form of Gerard’s granddaughter Valerie and her husband Patrick Renaux joined the company in 1999 and ultimately took the helm of the company. The family owns six hectares of vines primarily in the elite village of Ambonnay. The vines are cultivated sustainably and harvested by hand.
We’re always looking for distinctive bubbly and this property’s Soutiran Champagne Grand Cru Signature really caught our attention. It is interesting to note that only 17 of the 320 villages in Champagne are entitled to use the term Grand Cru, which makes them pretty rare by definition. Ambonnay is great terroir for Pinot Noir and, as designated, the grapes here all come from Grand Cru sites. The blend is 45% Pinot Noir and 55% Chardonnay, with 10% of the cuvee seeing time in barrel. This blend is 56% from the outstanding 2012 vintage and 44% is from prior reserve cuvees. It was bottled in 2015 and disgorged in 2020, giving it five years on the lees.
In their notes among the 10 cuvees they produce it states that this is their best seller. We can see why. The nose offers up plenty of generous apple and peach fruit highlighted with notes of toasted brioche. The palate is creamy and the bead is fine, the round, layered apple, pear, peach and toast across the palate is round and engaging while still maintaining the requisite brightness. There is a creaminess and opulence to the fruit that is driven by the Pinot Noir and, certainly to an extent, by the fruit-driven nature of the 2012 vintage.
Lovely, creamy, classy bubbles from a house we weren’t intimately familiar with, this will find many friends. With all the specificity with Champagne reviews (right down to the lot number), we couldn’t find anything on this specific bottling. Others have been well-reviewed, however, and a good bit of this cuvee came from an excellent vintage in 2012. Delish.