Champagne Extra Quality Marie Copinet

Marie Copinet's Extra Quality Brut Champagne is the entry cuvée into this family house from the Sézannais and the ultimate expression of immediate pleasure and Champagne generosity. A generous and round Champagne, equally suited to aperitif or celebration. This is festive drinking, at once generous and elegant, dominated by ripe fruits with delicious texture, part toasted oak, part white fruit freshness. Partially fermented in large wooden barrels, this Champagne is ready to drink now, with the savoury texture that Wine Enthusiast noted.

Blend and terroir

Extra Quality is a non-vintage blend made in equal parts from Champagne's three grape varieties: 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 33% Pinot Meunier, from complementary vineyard parcels of the house. The Chardonnay comes from the chalky soils characteristic of Sézannais, bringing freshness, tension and minerality. The Pinot Noir comes from clay-chalk soils, contributing structure, depth and red fruit notes. The Meunier comes from clay-silty soils, bringing the roundness, generosity and immediate fruit that make this cuvée so accessible and festive. Average vine age is 25 years. Hand-harvested throughout. Vinification is slow and interventionist-light: partial ageing in 50-hectolitre foudres and 300-litre barrels, with 10 months on fine lees to enrich texture and aromatic complexity. Cellar maturation lasts a minimum of 36 months before disgorgement, followed by at least 8 months post-disgorgement rest. Dosage is Brut, around 4 grams per litre, offering natural sweetness that balances the terroir's natural vivacity without ever weighing it down.

Tasting profile

The colour is bright golden, animated by fine persistent bubbles. The first nose is of good intensity and mature complexity: aromas of ripe apple, pear, golden wheat and melon open generously, accompanied by white nougat, acacia honey and citrus notes. With aeration, raspberry and almond notes and a toasted touch from partial oak ageing enrich the bouquet with welcome complexity and warmth. On the palate, the attack is soft and enveloping, then opens onto a generous wine with interesting maturity. Slices of Gala pear, apple and melon mingle with honey and pastry notes. The texture is creamy and well-nourished, with natural dosage sweetness that brings immediate appeal and roundness. The finish is harmonious with ripe wheat and apple cake aromas. A gourmand wine, warm and charming. Drink now.

The house

Founded in 1975 by Jacques Copinet, the house is now run by his daughter Marie-Laure and her husband Alexandre Kowal-Copinet. The 10.5 hectares of vines, certified organic from the 2021 harvest onwards, are geographically dispersed, allowing revelation of a remarkable range of terroirs. The house is generally distinguished by its fine, sensual and sophisticated Champagnes. The Extra Quality embodies the most festive and immediate face of this house, one you uncork without ceremony but with all the care and rigour of artisanal vinification.

Food pairing

This Extra Quality Champagne pairs equally as an aperitif and to accompany a meal from start to finish: small appetiser bites, blini with smoked salmon, pan-fried scallops with butter, roast chicken with herbs, fresh pasta with truffle or soft cheeses like Brillat-Savarin or Brie de Meaux. Served between 8 and 10°C, it will reveal all the fruity generosity, natural roundness and festive warmth of a grower Champagne signed by one of the most appealing houses of Sézannais.