One of the Montagne de Reim’s brightest young stars is Alexandre Chartogne who is headquartered in the once overlooked village of Merfy situated about four miles north of Reims. Alexandre once worked with famed Champagne cult vigneron Anselme
Selosse (his "wine father") and he applies many of Selosse’s methods in his vineyards and cellar: an emphasis on healthy soils, reduced yields and a very hands.off approach to wine making.
In recent years he has gained fame himself, especially for his single parcel bottlings. These limited-production gems are unfortunately divvied out to the trade with eye droppers. More plentiful and much more affordable is Chartogne’s nifty "Sainte Anne" cuvée which he blends as an expression of the whole village of Merfy. This latest iteration is a mix of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 10% Meunier with 50% drawn from the 2018 harvest and the rest from reserve stocks.
Pale straw color with a fine bead, the nascent nose opens slowly to reveal inviting red apple, peach and baguette scents. In recent years Alexandre has upped the use of oak to 80% in the elevage which has contributed an additional layer of flavor as well as a sense of gravitas.
On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, with focused orchard fruits, key lime and roasted almond notions lifted by bright acidity and topped off with a haunting minerality. A wonderful bottle that will only get better with a little more cellar rest.
VINOUS 92 POINTS - "The NV Brut Cuvée Ste.-Anne (base 2022) is terrific. I tasted it in the middle of the range after many of the single-vineyard Champagnes, but the wine did not suffer at all from its placement. If anything, this tasting reinforced my long-held view that the Ste.-Anne is one of the very finest grower Champagnes in its price range. This release, based on 2022, is brisk and energetic to its core. Citrus, white pepper, chalk and floral top notes are finely cut. This is an especially brisk edition of the Ste.-Anne. Chardonnay planted on chalk increasingly plays a leading role in this bottling. Superb."
JOHN GILMAN 91 POINTS - "...a bright and complex nose of white peach, apple, a beautiful base of soil tones, just a hint of sweet hazelnut, fresh-baked bread and a touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with refined mousse, a fine core, lovely mineral undertow and a long, focused and vibrant finish. If one were to quibble (and that is my job, after all!), this is not the most elegant example of Brut NV, but it is loaded with personality. This was before Alexandre Chartogne had expanded his roster of single vineyard bottlings, so there was a bit more fruit from top flight terroirs going into the Cuvée Sainte Anne than appears to be the case today. Fine juice."
In recent years he has gained fame himself, especially for his single parcel bottlings. These limited-production gems are unfortunately divvied out to the trade with eye droppers. More plentiful and much more affordable is Chartogne’s nifty "Sainte Anne" cuvée which he blends as an expression of the whole village of Merfy. This latest iteration is a mix of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 10% Meunier with 50% drawn from the 2018 harvest and the rest from reserve stocks.
Pale straw color with a fine bead, the nascent nose opens slowly to reveal inviting red apple, peach and baguette scents. In recent years Alexandre has upped the use of oak to 80% in the elevage which has contributed an additional layer of flavor as well as a sense of gravitas.
On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, with focused orchard fruits, key lime and roasted almond notions lifted by bright acidity and topped off with a haunting minerality. A wonderful bottle that will only get better with a little more cellar rest.
VINOUS 92 POINTS - "The NV Brut Cuvée Ste.-Anne (base 2022) is terrific. I tasted it in the middle of the range after many of the single-vineyard Champagnes, but the wine did not suffer at all from its placement. If anything, this tasting reinforced my long-held view that the Ste.-Anne is one of the very finest grower Champagnes in its price range. This release, based on 2022, is brisk and energetic to its core. Citrus, white pepper, chalk and floral top notes are finely cut. This is an especially brisk edition of the Ste.-Anne. Chardonnay planted on chalk increasingly plays a leading role in this bottling. Superb."
JOHN GILMAN 91 POINTS - "...a bright and complex nose of white peach, apple, a beautiful base of soil tones, just a hint of sweet hazelnut, fresh-baked bread and a touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with refined mousse, a fine core, lovely mineral undertow and a long, focused and vibrant finish. If one were to quibble (and that is my job, after all!), this is not the most elegant example of Brut NV, but it is loaded with personality. This was before Alexandre Chartogne had expanded his roster of single vineyard bottlings, so there was a bit more fruit from top flight terroirs going into the Cuvée Sainte Anne than appears to be the case today. Fine juice."