# Efflorescence Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut (2019)

- **Producer:** Champagne Marie-Courtin
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Champagne, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €74
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** plum, strawberry, apple, pear, mint, rose, black pepper, orange, brioche, pastry, smoke, hazelnut

## About this wine

Founded in 2005 by Dominique Moreau in Polisot within Champagne's Côte des Bar region, Champagne Marie-Courtin is named in honor of her great-grandmother. Moreau specializes in single-parcel, single-variety, single-vintage, zero-dosage Champagnes grown across just 2.5 hectares. The Efflorescence cuvée originates from a lower-hillside single plot featuring 35 to 40-year-old vines planted in fossil-rich Kimmeridgian limestone soils.

## Interesting facts

- Winemaker Dominique Moreau uses radiesthesia (pendulums) to assess energy levels in her vines and cellar.
- The name Efflorescence translates to 'evolving in perpetuity', highlighting its remarkable aging potential.
- The estate operates on just 2.5 hectares of certified organic and biodynamic micro-parcels.

## Food pairing

The intense high acidity and bone-dry zero-dosage profile cut through rich fats in seafood and cream, while the structured, barrel-fermented Pinot Noir body seamlessly aligns with rich poultry and umami-driven wild mushrooms.

## Wine making process

Primary fermentation takes place using ambient yeasts in neutral Burgundy oak barrels with zero added sulfur during vinification. The base wine ages in wood for 9 to 12 months prior to bottled tirage. It undergoes secondary fermentation and spends 36 months aging on its lees before disgorgement. The wine is finished with zero dosage (brut nature) and is left unfined and unfiltered.