2007 Thiénot - Cuvée Alain Thiénot Brut (92 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is a blend of 65% Chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir.  The grapes come partially from their vineyards. The wine was aged on its lees for ten years and was disgorged in 2018.

👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of baked apple, quince paste, Mirabelle plum, dried apricot, orange zest, baked bread, cheese rind, custard, and caramel.

👄 The wine is dry, high acidity, fine bubbles (not overly pervasive), medium alcohol (12.5%), and medium+ body. The wine has a powdery texture on the palate. A medium+ length finish of baked apple, crème caramel (flan), and orange zest.

🔔 The 2007 Cuvée Alain Thiénot is a fully mature Champagne that is ready to drink now. This wine shows how a fruit-driven Champagne ages with so much time on the lees developing baked and caramel apple notes with rich custardy flavors. The Cuvées of Champagne Thiénot all have a unique personality. It was fun to try them side by side. In the grand scheme of things, this represents a substantial value in Vintage Champagne.

 2007 Thiénot - Cuvée Alain Thiénot Brut (92 pts)

Interview with Stan Thiénot of Champagne Thiénot

 . We had some technical difficulties in the beginning so please ⏩fast forward to 3m 10s.

Stan discussed the original of the house that only started in 1985. His father, Alain Thiénot was a grape broker between large brands and vinegrowers which allowed him to purchase and source top grapes in order to start his own house.

We discussed the house style of Thiénot and tasted through the NV Brut and Blanc de Blancs. Stan explained their Winemaking process and how they use a lot of reserve wines to deliver the style of the house. He also explained jetting as wines are disgorged and the impact it has on maintaining freshness in the wines.

Then we tasted two of the family Cuvées which are named for his father and sister. We talked about what it means to still be alive and have a Cuvée with your name on it.

These wines are very good and are imported by

 Interview with Stan Thiénot of Champagne Thiénot

ℹ️ This wine is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Meunier. The grapes are primarily sourced from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. The blend has 30% reserve wines (2010, 2012, and 2013). The dosage is 5 g/l.

👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of red apple, pear, nectarine, lemon zest, pie crust, bread dough, toast, and cherry blossom.

👄 The wine is dry, high acidity, persistent fine bubbles, medium alcohol (12.5%), and medium body. A medium length finish of baked orchard fruit and flaky pie crust.

🔔 Champagne Thiénot's Brut offers a balanced and crowd-pleasing bottle of bubbles at a very fair price. Coming in around $40, this is the perfect brunch offering where you won't feel guilty killing a bottle or two. It is more elegant than many "big" houses that can be a tad heavy-handed with dosage. I don't know about you, but I would instead pay for reserve wines in the blend than a marketing campaign.

 NV Thiénot - Brut @champagnethienot ℹ️ This wine is a blend

2010 Thiénot - Cuvée Garance Brut (92 pts)

ℹ️ Cuvée Garance is 💯 Pinot Noir, and House Thiénot refers to as Blanc de Rouges (not an official designation). The grapes primarily come from Montagne de Reims: Aÿ, Cumières, and Rilly-a-Montagne. The base wine is fermented in stainless steel and undergoes full malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged on its lees for eight years.

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of red apple skin, Mandarin orange, yellow plum, orange blossom, dried leaves, caramel apple, dried apricot, pie crust, and high-end honey.

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, fine fading bubbles, medium alcohol (12.5%), and medium+ body. The palate is showing more development of baked and dried fruit. A medium+ length finish of dried apricot, honey, and oolong tea.

🔔 The 2010 Cuvée Garance is a fully mature Champagne that is ready to drink now. There is a lot of dried and baked fruit on the palate combined with pie crust autolytic notes. The honey and caramel notes show development from the extended time on lees. This is definitely a wine that would work better paired with more decadent foods. Solid Champagne 🍾.