NV R.H. Coutier Grand Cru Brut Rose Champagne 750 ml

Champagne has become one of the last places in the world where you can find Old World artisanal wines at a true value. Few deliver as much panache and elegance as the gorgeous NV Coutier Brut Rosé for just $55—a price that’s practically unheard of for grower Champagne from the legendary Grand Cru village of Ambonnay. 

Established here since 1619, the Coutier family sells grapes to houses like Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, and Tattinger. It produces around just 2,000 cases a year, including today’s release, adored by sommeliers for its price-to-quality ratio, and one that sparkling collectors hoard by the case when they can find it.

Roughly 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay make for a brilliant, head-turning pink-salmon hue. Pinpoint bubbles gush up the walls of the glass, releasing precise aromas of strawberry, pear, chalk, and brioche. It’s all balance and elegance on the palate, with cranberry underlined by racy acidity and evolving into a crisp, mineral finish.   

Coutier’s centuries-old legacy has turned us—and Vinous’s Antonio Galloni—into gonzo fans. The critic has called the estate “one of my favorite among Champagne’s smaller houses” and one that “consistently makes beautiful wines loaded with personality that don’t cost a fortune.” He listed their Brut Tradition on his Best Buys of 2019 list and has argued: “Readers who have not tasted these Champagnes owe it to themselves to do so.” At today’s price, it’s there for the taking—while it lasts. 

Ambonnay is one of the crown jewels of the Montagne de Reims, one of Champagne’s 17 Grand Cru villages, and always an essential stop for us when on the wine route there. Here, some of Champagne’s greatest Pinot Noir is grown; here, Krug crafts its glorious, ultra-rare Clos d’Ambonnay (which sells for around $2,000 a bottle). A stone’s throw from Bouzy, Ambonnay consists of wide open, gently sloping vineyards surrounding a quaint village of white-walled, red-roofed buildings and Romanesque churches.

What really makes this village unique is its southern exposure, allowing vines to bask in the sun’s warm, lending wines a creamy lushness and opulence. A higher concentration of clay and smaller amount of limestone further contribute to Ambonnay’s signature richness.

Antoine Coutier seeks to balance the sumptuousness with a vinification that emphasizes purity and racy acidity, eschewing barrel aging and fermentation in favor of stainless steel, and employing low dosages to allow the terroir to shine through. The percentage of Chardonnay used, enlivening the Brut Rosé with crisp energy, is a Coutier trademark; in a village famous for Pinot Noir, Antoine’s grandfather was the first to plant Chardonnay in Ambonnay in 1946. 

Perhaps because of its small size and limited production, Coutier has remained relatively under-the-radar, leading to its rare affordability. “Every time I taste the Coutier Champagnes I think the same thing. How is it possible that these wines don't get more recognition given their quality and value?” says Galloni.

For now, we’re counting our blessings that we can offer a Champagne this special at one of the region’s all-time best prices.