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By: Philip Roufail | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/20/2023 | Send Email
The new release of the A.D. Coutleas "Cuvee Louis Victor" Brut Champagne, the finest yet, is a triumph of their perpetual blend, started in 2007. What was once the province of a few forward thinking grower-producers, and an even smaller number of big Champagne houses, the solera style perpetual blend is becoming the assemblage of choice for multi-vintage champagne. As the blend adds vintages and matures, it becomes more complex, turning the average multi-vintage champagne above average. The progressive quality of this cuvee is a testament to the veracity (and tastiness) of this method. Coutelas uses a single 6000L oak foudre for the perpetual blend, forgoes malolactic fermentation, and uses a low dosage, 4g/l, to preserve freshness and the zippy acidity. Aged 4 years on the lees, it's aromatic, toasty, layered with citrus, tropical fruit, hazelnuts, saline, and white flowers. They only make 1,500 bottles a year so grab some while you can!
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By: Chelsea Herholdt | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/14/2023 | Send Email
I had to look twice at this price. The base blend crosses over a decade of vintages, and it spends 4 years on the lees, gaining both depth and classic brioche character. While the nose is still showing lively character such as finger lime, beautiful secondary character is also beginning to show. The primary citrus has begun to evolve on the palate, making this an incredibly approachable and universally friendly wine. For those that are used to paying high dollar for older vintage Champagnes, this is an excellent wine to have around, as some of that hard to come by nutty silkiness is already showing here. Stunning value.
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By: Diana Turk | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/14/2023 | Send Email
Bright green apple fruit shines on the nose, followed by a richer nuttiness on the palate. There is a subtle sherry quality to this complex Champagne. Despite that lush feel, the finish is snappy and dry, with pleasing chalkiness. Coutelas’ delicious "Cuvée Louis Victor" always sells out quickly, and given the price for such a well-made offering, I can see why.
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By: Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/13/2023 | Send Email
This champagne, made using a sort of solera-style fractional blending, deserves a good amount of contemplation. It is incredibly precise and delicate with light citrus, apple, exotic fruits, and a hint of herbs with chalky minerality. But its method of production adds notes that are new to me in the realm of Champagne. It has almost a fine indigenous-yeast sherry note to it that I love! I now understand why this Champagne sells out so quickly every time we get it in stock.
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By: Scott Beckerley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/13/2023 | Send Email
This FANTASTIC release of the Cuvee Louis Victor from Damien and Angelique Coutelas is back in stock! A rare Solera-style blend with a fine, lightly savory nose followed by wonderful butterscotch scents. It is rich, but, not sweet on the palate. There is a creamy texture with brioche and golden apples notes. Simply delicious! It has a lingering and chalky finish. Superb!
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By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/13/2023 | Send Email
A very interesting concept in Champagne and one that delivers quality and flavor-wise beyond the unique approach. This wine is basically a single vessel "solera" where each year 100 cases worth of wine are removed from the large oak barrel and then an equal amount of vin clair is added back. The wine has tons of pure, juicy fruit, lovely floral high notes and great richness and toasty depth on the palate. The finish is defined by taught acidity and good chalky structure. A wine with real presence and persistence on the palate.
Top Value!
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By: Cindy Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/13/2023 | Send Email
This champagne is very good company. Endlessly complex, revealing different dimensions with each sip. Starting its savory story when the glass is full and cold, all the way until the final delicious drop, a bit warmer and with some of the bubbles subdued. An absolute STEAL for the price - and a must-try for all champagne lovers.
Top Value!
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By: Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/13/2023 | Send Email
Growers like Coutelas are making the most innovative wines in Champagne, and no wine in our stock shows that more than the Cuvée Louis Victor. This comes from a single large barrel and is made in the solera style, with wines dating back to 2007 included in the blend. The composition is unknown, as 20% is bottled each year and replaced with the best vin clair in the cellar, regardless of variety. It is then aged for an additional three years on the lees and rested six more months on the cork. This wine has savory, deep richness and fans of Selosse and Krug should take note… It is easily one of the most complex Champagnes that we have on the shelf.
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By: Chris DePaoli | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 4/27/2019 | Send Email
Champagne is about as classic as it comes, so it's super cool to see growers trying new, delicious styles that keep the area dynamic and fun after all this time. This is an incredible, chestnut pastry driven mouthful elegantly juxtaposed against the lemon curd background, with staying power on the palate and a sherry-ish finish that begs for anther drink. Fresher than the flavor notes would have you think, this is a steal at the price and one of my favorite wines to surprise my friends with.
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By: Elsa Baez | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 4/12/2019 | Send Email
There is so much going on with this bottle of champagne it's hard to know where to start. The blend is from fruit aged between 2007-2014 and considered to be from some of the best grapes from the vineyards. The nose is powered with hazelnut and sourdough toast with floral notes intermingling in between. And it keeps going.. rich with a good amount of acid, green apples and an airy mousse-like texture. It's definitely on my top 10 of champagne I cannot live without!
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By: William Beare | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/8/2019 | Send Email
This is such an interesting champagne. I don't know of a single other like it. The entire production comes out of one giant barrel. Each year, the best selections are added to it to replace what comes out-- so production is limited to 2,000 liters per year. How it manages to be one of our most affordable options in the store boggles my mind. It has a deep, sourdough bread richness, with notes of fresh green olive and white roses. The "Louis Victor" provides a refined, aged champagne-drinking experience (there is wine in the barrel as old as 2007), and it will only continue to evolve in the coming releases. This is a good NV to hold on to, carefully marking which year the bottles were released to taste them against the new.
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By: Rachel Alcarraz | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/5/2019 | Send Email
I was surprised to see that I didn't already have a review for this wine since it is one of my favorite champagnes in the store! The first time I had this champagne was at a dinner with my coworkers. I was blown away by not only the story of the wine, but its concentration and complexity. I guess that is what happens when you have the best juice from over a decades worth of vintages in one barrel! While the texture screams aged champagne and some of the savory notes agree, there is a freshness that is describable.
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By: Shaun Green | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/5/2019 | Send Email
Here's a very unique, complex and rich Champagne that any Champagne lover needs to try. Powerful with rich hazelnut, exotic fruits and spice box notes, lovely citrus peel and a layer of beautiful sweet chalky minerality. The long ageing in a 'solera' style adds to the unusual complexity and intrigue of this Champagne. All this at an unbelievable price for the quality.
Top Value!
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By: Christina Stanley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/21/2018 | Send Email
This is a stunning wine that overdelivers in every way possible. Crafted from a blend of the best of the base wine barrel selections from 2007-2014, the Cuveé Louis Victor displays incredibly complex, condensed flavors and aromas that sensually drift across the palate, leaving a distinct desire for another taste. Notes of Granny smith and golden apple, even hints of red apple skin and nutmeg trail into a leesy, saline finish that lasts and lasts.
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By: Morgan Laurie | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/24/2018 | Send Email
This is a really cool take on Champagne with a solera style barrel being the base wine. The added richness and complexity from the perpetual blend adds tons of character with aromas of toasted hazelnuts, spice cake, chalk and roasted apple. A really incredible bottling and completely unique, especially considering the price point. Stunning!
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By: Anthony Russo | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/30/2017 | Send Email
Rich, flavorful, and extraordinarily unique! Tons of warming toast on the palate that combines perfectly with the lifted fruit aromas and tastes of bruised pear and baked apples. The finish is long and energetic, providing a smooth swell of slight nuttiness. A memorable go-to for the serious wine drinker looking for richness.
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By: Joe Manekin | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 10/7/2015 | Send Email
A blend of Chard, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, what makes this Champagne unique is that the wine comes from a single 6,000 liter foudre, which is fractionally blended so that in includes more vintages than your typical NV Champagne. Interestingly earthy on the nose, the palate is rich, with flavors of apples and, maybe this is just the power of suggestion given the fractional blending (which is sort of like a one barrel version of a solera) but it has some very gentle oxidative and Manzanilla like notes. A great value Champagne for those looking for great quality and originality.
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By: Steve Bearden | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/12/2015 | Send Email
This multivintage blend which includes harvests from 2007 through 2012 is a must try for those who like their bubbly on the rich side but without giving up any complexity. This is chock-full of red fruit and berry flavors and there is an additional layer of maturity provided by the inclusion of the older stocks. This is produced using the solera system (as in sherry) and there is nothing else quite like it.
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