If Mesnil is holy ground for Chardonnay, then Ambonnay is holy ground for Pinot Noir.
Ambonnay has the potential to deliver the deepest, most finessed and most complex expressions of Pinot Noir in all of Champagne.
Coutier's 2008 Henri III was one of the biggest standouts of a recent tasting of over thirty wines.
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We're huge fans of the 2008 vintage. The style of the vintage works particularly well with the Henri III. In the 2008, the wine has beautiful energy and agility married to the wine's typical rich depth of complexity.
As the last entry of the holy triumvirate of 1996, 2002 and 2008, the 2008 vintage stands out for its tension, purity and harmony. If 1996 and 2002 possessed a decent amount of muscle, 2008 is about finesse and laser-like cut.
Coutier's 2008 Henri III is 100 percent Pinot Noir from Ambonnay, forty percent of which is aged in old barrels. The first vintage for the wine was 1995. The 2008 is a nearly perfect showcase of the wine. It offers a beautiful display of the wine's richly layered depth and most importantly, glorious chalk-inflected Pinot fruit. It beautifully captures the red fruited, tightly knit and refined profile of Ambonnay.
I encourage you to not only cellar some for the next handful of years or more, but also to incorporate it into meals. The power of the Henri III works very well with a wide range of foods. We rarely run into vintage Champagne this affordable and impressive. Don't miss.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits