Adrien Renoir Les Goisses Grand Cru 2018

(Wine Advocate Score 94+ on vintage 2016) From a parcel of massal selection Pinot Meunier that was planted in 1962, Renoir's inaugural 2016 Extra-Brut Grand Cru Les Vignes Goisses was disgorged in February 2020 with 0.8 grams per liter dosage. Mingling notes of pear, red berries, fresh pastry, orange oil and blanched almonds, it's medium to full-bodied, racy and incisive, with an intensely mineral—indeed, pungently saline—finish. Renoir comments that this site is defined by sandy soils over a clay-limestone base and that it has a propensity to frost: hence its cépagement. It will be fascinating to watch this tightly wound Champagne evolve in bottle.