Coessens : PinotManiac Les Riceys Blanc de Noirs

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for PinotManiac Les Riceys Blanc de Noirs by Coessens

Tasting

Colour
A pale hue, subtly tinged with pink highlights, the hallmark of the single-variety Pinot Noir cuvées crafted by the estate.

Nose
The nose opens with notes of ripe fruit, red apple and Williams pear, accompanied by white flowers and a hint of raspberry stone. Touches of wet chalk and fine brioche complete the bouquet, recalling the Kimmeridgian origin of the terroir.

Palate
The palate reveals a dense, vinous Pinot Noir juice, carried by citrus zest and a hint of white pepper. A saline thread runs across the palate, supported by a creamy mousse, through to a dry finish with a mineral trail.

Food and Wine Pairing

This saline, vinous Champagne is ideally suited to refined seafood such as oysters, scallops or noble fish served with a lemon sauce. It also pairs well with white meats or poultry in a mushroom sauce, as well as with mild semi-hard cheeses such as a young Comté or a mountain tomme.

PinotManiac Coessens, a saline expression of Pinot Noir from Les Riceys in Champagne

The Estate

Founded in 2006 by Jérôme Coessens in Ville-sur-Arce, in the Côte des Bar, the Coessens estate extends over approximately 6 hectares devoted exclusively to Pinot Noir. Now run by Jérôme, together with his wife Valérie and, in time, their son Grégoire, the house was built around the monopole of the Largillier lieu-dit before expanding in 2021 to the terroir of Les Riceys. Coessens champions a parcel-by-parcel, geological approach to its Kimmeridgian soils, inspired by a philosophy close to that of Burgundy.

The Vineyard

PinotManiac Les Riceys Blanc de Noirs comes from four Champagne parcels located in Les Riceys: Valmolin, La Gueule de Valmolin, L'Envers de Valmolin and Le Grand Valpreuse. These parcels lie on Kimmeridgian soils, combining limestone and clay marls, comparable to those of the Largillier lieu-dit, the historic cradle of the estate. Leased by the Coessens family since 2021, they offer a new interpretation of Pinot Noir from the Côte des Bar.

The Blend

Although presented as non-vintage, this PinotManiac draws on the inaugural 2022 harvest, the first crop from the Les Riceys parcels farmed by the estate. This single base reflects Coessens' decision to discover this new terroir before considering, in due course, a possible vintage declaration on the label.

Vinification and Ageing

The non-vintage PinotManiac Les Riceys Blanc de Noirs is vinified entirely in stainless steel tanks, without the use of wood, in order to preserve the purity of the fruit and the minerality of the terroir. The wine benefits from ageing on its lees, which lends it finesse and texture.

Grape Variety

This Champagne is made from 100% Pinot Noir, the sole grape variety worked by the Coessens estate at both Largillier and Les Riceys.