Caze Thibaut Naturellment Pinot Meunier 2022

We have been enjoying these bottlings of 100% Pinot Meunier from Fabien Caze for over a half decade and impatiently waited for this to settle in after we received this in the shop two weeks ago.  A bit of background on the maker and his style of winemaking. Fabien worked with Alexandre Chartogne after his schooling, and has adopted the new French wave of winemaking as his own. He is also a part of the up and coming grower society Terre et Vins de Champagne, being welcomed into the select few after only a handful of compelling vintages. He and the family holdings are in the Chatillon Sur Marne with some plantings in the neighboring village of Vandieres. His stated aim is to promote the terroir of his single plots as distinctive wines. Most growers that we bring to you are small: Fabien is positively tiny. He has six parcels total to draw from that only cover 5.5 acres. In the vineyard they promote ground cover with some tilling and hoeing to promote vine growth. Fabien does not use herbicides or insecticides on any of his plots. This Naturellement is entirely Meunier from the 2022 vintage. It was aged for around two years on its lees and disgorged without the addition of dosage in December 2024. This pours a delicate white gold in the glass. The nose opens with crystalline white peach, yellow apples and citrus backed by just there bois and a clay minerality.  On the palate this has a good generosity of tree fruits kept in check by moderate acid and a seam of minerality that runs through its finish. In spite of its low dosage this is quite well balanced and delightful. -MK