2012 R.H. Coutier, Champagne Extra Brut Millésime Grand Cru

We don’t need a fancy lead-in for R.H. Coutier’s 2012 Grand Cru Millisime. We just need to run through the facts to make clear just how much magic is contained within. 100% estate fruit from maybe the greatest Pinot Noir village in Champagne, Grand Cru Ambonnay. No less than seven years aging en tirage and over four years in bottle. One of the best vintages of the 21st century. All of it crafted by maybe the most historically important grower-producer family in the region. And a bottle doesn’t even come with a triple-digit price tag. In the almost decade since we’ve been doing this, rarely have we seen a Champagne that so effortlessly achieves the trifecta of gravitas, value, and sheer deliciousness in Coutier’s Millisime. A surefire slam dunk like this comes around but a few times in a region as hallowed as Champagne. We’re stocking our cellars to the brim with this and suggest you do the same! The Coutier family is synonymous with Ambonnay. Their wines capture the fruit-laden, fleshy