Val Frison "Goustan" Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Region: Champagne

Vintage: 2022

Viticulture: Organic

Soils: Chalky Limestone + Clay

Vinification: Hand harvested and direct pressed whole clusters

Aging: barrel on lees + in bottle before release

Fining or Filtering: Disgorged

Dosage: 0 g/l

Notes from the Importer: Valérie Frison took over her family’s vines in the village of Ville-sur-Arce in 1997, initially selling the grapes to the local cooperative. Together with her then husband, Thierry de Marne, she began converting her vineyards to organic viticulture in 2003, and in 2007, the first vintage eligible for organic certification, they began to make small quantities of their own champagne. They released their first wines in 2010. The two made wine together for six years, but de Marne left in February of 2013, and today, Frison continues to run the estate on her own.

Valérie Frison owns a total of six hectares of vines in Ville-sur-Arce, in 2018 her son Thomas de Marne and his partner Florie Pilares returned to begin the process of taking over the estate. By the 2020 harvest, they have now taken full control and henceforth the wines will carry the same cuvée names (Goustan & Lalore) as well as two new bottlings Holistique which replaces Cuvée P, sourced from a single vineyard lying on Portlandian soils and l’éclos de la côte, a Kimmeridgian site sporting 50+ year old Pinot Noir vines. Eventually Thomas de Marne will replace Val Frison as the brand name. Their goal is to produce wines with as close to zero additions (sulfur, sugar, enzymes, etc.) as possible.

This is blended from the estate parcels of pinot noir, and on average, it was harvested at a slightly lower level than usual, around 10.5 degrees of natural potential alcohol. It already appears unusually open and forward, its burnished, waxy notes of citrus, apple and red cherry showing a slight oxidation.