Nathalie Falmet Le Val Cornet
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This vintage comes from a single vineyard "Le Val Cornet".
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Half-each Meunier and Pinot; all-2010; and matured in older casks, Falmet’s single-vineyard NV Brut Le Val Cornet Disg. 5/2012 is nothing short of revelatory in its polish, transparency and complexity! (Bear in mind that, like me, you will almost certainly never have tasted a wine from within 20 or 25 miles of this one, as we’re talking about an almost entirely overlooked sector of a Champagne region, the Bar, that has only since the turn of the millennium begun to attract attention for estate-bottling.) A greenhouse-like profusion of leafing and flowering things on the nose is joined by scents of apple and red raspberry subtly shadowed by their high-toned distilled counterparts. Almost weightlessly buoyant, seductively silken and infectiously juicy in its apple and raspberry manifestations, this amazing libation simultaneously suggests hazelnut cream, almond paste and walnut oil, resulting in an uncanny counterpoint with its lively fruit acids. Crunch of berry seeds and legume sprouts lend invigoration to a chalk suffused finish in which salinity and savor of oyster liquor spell “Umami” and “Kimmeridgian” in caps, and it takes real effort to disengage the salivary glands, much less resist the next sip. I’m only guessing when I suggest that this will be worth following for at least several more years. But don’t miss out on some now! (As soon as I had finished my sample, I went on-line and bought some of this amazing value in Champagne, in part just to re-taste and make sure it was really this good.)
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Wine Spectator
(a blend of pinot noir and pinot meunier; disgorged May 29, 2012): Bright yellow-gold. Heady, complex scents of red berries, Asian spices, rose and incense. A blood orange nuance comes up with air and carries onto the palate, which offers sappy raspberry and peach flavors and a smoky mineral overtone that adds lift and cut. A yeasty note lingers on the long, spicy finish, which features chalky minerals and a hint of honey.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, this comes from a single vineyard in the Côte des Bar. Its balance between extreme freshness and acidity, along with a toasty edge, gives a wine with some age and also the potential to mature further. Drink now or keep until 2020.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’