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By: Michael Benoit | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/24/2023 | Send Email
With 70% of this champagne being barrel-fermented and over 4 years of aging on the lees, Nicolas Maillart "Platine" Brut Champagne certainly has depth, power, and a beautiful creamy bead. But it surprises me every time with how simultaneously light on its feet it manages to be. This bottle has a delicate nose of lime zest, honeysuckle, and saline minerality, and plenty of crisp, lemony acidity. On the palate, flavors of Rainier cherry and ripe citrus mingle with toasted sourdough, and it finishes crisp and clean, with the perfect accent of chalk. Few bottles we carry deliver this much complexity at such a reasonable price.
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By: Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/7/2023 | Send Email
This Champagne has a lively and inviting nose. In the mouth it is dry and full bodied with a depth of flavor. There is a nice long finish.
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By: Diana Turk | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/7/2021 | Send Email
One of our newest direct imports, Nicolas Maillart wows with his polished "Platine" release. The caramelly nose gives way to tart green apple fruit, a creamy yet balanced palate, and a fresh but exceptionally long finish. Aged over four years on the lees with 55% in oak and a dosage of 6 g/L that feels even lower, this Champagne has a welcome mercurial quality that makes it feel rich one moment and bright the next. Toasty notes change to saline and citrus, and the finish is generous but still crisp. All this complexity, plus the quality of 1er Cru vineyards, a family-run estate, environmentally friendly production, and a price under $35—it is a spectacular feat to say the least.
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By: Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/7/2021 | Send Email
Nothing gets our staff excited like a new addition to the sub-$40 Champagne category at K&L! The quality from the 1er cru vines is unmistakable here with chalky notes, doughy autolytics, and honeysuckle on the nose. The Pinot Noir shines through on the palate with rich Bing cherry and citrus flavors, toasty brioche, and herbal notes, plus acidity that wonderfully balances the great fruit and rich texture. Another amazing Champagne value!
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By: Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/7/2021 | Send Email
This is the most exciting new Champagne producer that we have added to our lineup of direct imports in a very long time. This entirely estate-grown Champagne comes from plots in Ecuiel, Bouzy, and Villers-Allerand from mostly old, massal-selected plots. The four years of ageing on the lees have given this wine a lovely, creamy texture and beautiful, toasty aromas. You can feel the power of the Pinot Noir, with some subtle dark cherry fruit and savor. The most incredible thing about the wine is its complexity, which I found kaleidoscopic, something I am not used to in such a fairly priced wine. Every sip is a discovery!
Top Value!
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By: Thomas Smith | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/3/2021 | Send Email
An absolutely stunner of a Champagne. Full fruited, pure, clean citrus with hints of white cherry. On the palate, this is full of energy and vigor and clear fruit expression. Another unbelievable value in the line-up of gorgeous grower producer Champagnes. This is going into my regular rotation of Friday night Champagne
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By: Scott Beckerley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/25/2020 | Send Email
This is a really wonderful new producer that we have added to our small estate lineup.This latest release (2015 base wine...750 ml bottles only) is slightly richer than the previous release, which was a 2014 base wine. It is composed of 63% pinot noir, 23% chardonnay and 14% pinot meunier. I had the opportunity to taste this at the winery in late February of this year...a million years ago. There is increased aging in the barrel which results in a richer, rounder style at the forefront of the palate. However, it comes across as dry, with bright green and yellow apple fruit and tangy baking spice notes. Background flavors of cream and honey. Surprisingly clean, thanks to the low dosage, and a total surprise. Refreshing and delicious! About 100,000 bottles produced. I've enjoyed so many wines from this estate, that it is hard to keep track. ALL of them are excellent and I've been buying both .750 ml and magnum bottling's. I wish they would make a least one dog so that I'd save some $! A wonderful addition to our small-estate line. (Updated 22 July, 2020).
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By: Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/21/2020 | Send Email
Maillart makes Platine with 78% Pinot Noir, 16% Chardonnay, and 6% Pinot Meunier. It is 40% barrel fermented, and the wine spends 4 years on the lees. This is a bright and zippy Champagne with big-time citrus, focusing particularly on grapefruit elements. The palate has a great, full mouthfeel plus a decadent creamy toastiness. Notes of stone fruit emerge with cherry and peach. Another wonderful direct import for K&L here that matches complexity with bargain pricing.
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By: Muriel Sarik | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/21/2020 | Send Email
Yet another great champagne to add to our extensive and wonderful champagne inventory! The color is a golden hue, to be followed with a savory, saline, citrus nose. For just a split second, the image of a fresh squeezed margarita with a thin salted rim, flashed before me! Its acid opens up the layers of flavors and complexities. I'm not a fan of oak in my champagne, but this oak turns into a smooth texture and long finish. At this price it will sell fast.
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By: Shaun Green | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/21/2020 | Send Email
Lovely citrus and white blossom nose and a palate of bright and crisply citrus fruit, but with a nice texture and flavor and a modest component of oak. Quite dry and refreshing and extremely pleasing finishing with a clean, clear Meyer lemon wash
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By: Chris DePaoli | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 10/20/2019 | Send Email
White peach, nectarine, sage and chalk, all with a slight brine wrapped up in a warm, happy bouquet. A truly great bottle of bubbles for the price. You understand exactly how Champagne got its reputation by the end of a glass.
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By: Stefanie Juelsgaard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 10/15/2019 | Send Email
The bright acidity on this guy is palpable, surprising given that it spends 4 years on the lees and is 40% barrel fermented. This new direct import producer may be the one I'm most excited about this year. Everything I've seen from them has been beyond expectation, and at this price point is sure to stand alongside Launois and Baron Fuente in near-future as must have's at K&L.
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By: Elsa Baez | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/1/2019 | Send Email
We have several top-notch quality champagnes in the grower-producer section that are under $35 and the Maillart Platine Brut Champagne is a top contender. It's got everything - cherry and stone fruit aroma notes intermingling together with a creamy mouthfeel and finishing bright, fresh and elegant. I remember thinking how can this possibly be a champagne under $35 when we first tasted with Gary and was happy to hear it is one of our newest direct import! If you're looking for a nice bottle of bubbles to bring to a dinner party, this is a definite crowd pleaser!
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By: Cameron Price | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 5/7/2019 | Send Email
The new and wonderful Nicolas Maillart Champagnes are now direct imports for K&L and deserve a big hoorah for our Champagne buyer Gary Westby for seeking them out.
The Platine is the Brut of their line-up and I felt to be their best and most complex, although they were all pretty stellar. Platine offers up a big intense nose with structure and finesse. Honeysuckle and orange blossom are found, with companions of intensely elegant bubbles that merit the term "mousse fine." The palate has a vibrant acidity with notes of golden apple and white peach and apricot skin. Long and sexy finish that is elegant and saline and would make anyone feel "chic" just drinking it. This Champagne will be very popular in the up and coming years, and is perfect for any occasion or non-occasion!
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By: Rachel Alcarraz | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 1/30/2019 | Send Email
The deepest, toastiest wine in the Maillart lineup. This rich Champagne is not without its complexities of dry, chalky minerality, delicate florals, Meyer lemon (like its counterparts) and wonderful acidity. Each sip makes you feel like freshly baked bread just came out of the oven. It is textural, deep, and filled to the brim with lovely brioche notes. I'd pair a bottle of this wine with a roasted chicken, creamy tortellini, or roasted mushrooms any day of the week!
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