What

The eponymous house of former champagne broker Alain Thiénot, formed in 1985, and still run by the family.

Where

Taissy, Montagne de Reims; 30 hectares estate vineyards, spread across the region; some older vineyards in the Côte des Blancs were purchased from Krug.

Why

I have personally watched the quality of this house improve since working with their Italian distributor in the early 2010’s. A reduction in overt oak use has led to wines with purer expression and greater longevity, no longer showing wood phenolics.

What else

Arvitis—Thiénot’s portfolio of companies—now includes several other houses including Canard-Duchêne, Joseph Perrier and Marie Stuart.

Tasting Notes

Meyer lemon peels warm into yellow apple with toasted croutons. An initial cheesy note soon blows off, leaving a refined profile in the glass with delicious mid-palate toasty richness. Mousse dissipates somewhat quickly. The tonic, bitter finish has quite a high concentration of mouth-coating phenolics.

Try It With 

Raw oysters or other shellfish.

When To Drink

Apéritif.

Perfect For

Your new neighbour.

TL/DR

Classical and refined vintage.

Supplier

Continental Wines