View 2013 Champagne Catalog - Michael Skurnik Wines

Henri Goutorbe
Vallée de la Marne // Aÿ
vineyard area // 22 hectares
annual production // 10,000 cases
villages & soil types // Aÿ Grand Cru, Mareuil sur Aÿ 1 er Cru (Cretaceous chalk,
limestone)
grape varieties // 70% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier
These are the most conservative of the Champagnes in this collection—or I could also say,
the least radical.
Vallée de la Marne
Henri Goutorbe
When they’re in form, they show a sensuous generosity
and a suave maltiness that typify Champagne for many
drinkers. But they also show an atypical precision and
terroir character that identifies them as growers.
If you’ve visited the region recently there’s a fair chance
you know the family, as they’ve opened the very popular
and badly needed Hotel Castel Jeanson in Aÿ, just a
few steps from the winery. If you’re a grape-grower in
Champagne you almost certainly know Goutorbe, as he’s
one of the leading vine-nurserymen. When word reached
me they would indeed be interested in export, I was
delighted that no one had grabbed them.
I’m also really pleased to find a supplier for Aÿ Pinot
at last. There’s a consensus among fizz-heads that the “top-
5” Grand Crus are Aÿ, Ambonnay, Verzenay, Cramant and
Mesnil, and for me Aÿ has always stood out for its special
malt and blueberry aromas and overall class. If, as I’ve
written elsewhere, Ambonnay is Volnay or Chambolle,
then Aÿ is Vosne-Romanée.
The problem of the potato-y aroma has peeked in at
this house, and while it is improving it isn’t entirely gone.
It’s not there at all at the Special Club echelon, which
creates an odd skew in our numbers, as Club outsells the
basic NV. You might see individual wines come and go
from this offering, as I screen the dubious things away.
This isn’t because I’m perfect and know everything; it’s
because if there’s any doubt, even about my own abilities,
I won’t gamble with your trust for its benefit.
Henri Goutorbe at a glance // “Venerable” might be an apposite term for an estate that’s existed for less than 60
years, but Goutorbes are a Grand Family of Champagne, and this domaine embodies the generous and vivacious
side of the region.
how the wines taste // They are ripe and extravagant; they are seldom mystic or searching, but instead direct
and delicious. This doesn’t preclude a great refinement and class! It means they are oh-so-easy to love.
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