Nicolas Maillart Champagne 1er Cru Platine Extra Brut 1.5L
We have 3 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Écueil sits on the Petite Montagne de Reims, southwest of the city, and its soils run sandier than the classic Champagne picture of pure chalk. Sand over chalky bedrock is the reason Maillart can farm a parcel of ungrafted Pinot Noir here at all: phylloxera struggles in sand. Platine draws on all three of the estate's villages. Écueil and Villers-Allerand, both premier cru, supply Pinot Noir from mid-slope clay and limestone, with Meunier on the Villers-Allerand plateau, while a share of grand cru Bouzy adds riper Pinot and Chardonnay from the warmer southern flank of the Montagne. The result is premier cru Champagne with Pinot Noir at its center and enough chalk to keep it lifted.
The Wine
Pinot Noir always leads in Platine, running from 54% to 67% across documented releases, with Chardonnay near a quarter of the blend and Meunier filling the rest. Each release pairs a base year with several reserve vintages; one recent bottling combined a 2017 base with wine from 2016, 2015 and 2014. Between 55% and 70% of the lots ferment spontaneously in barrel, the rest in tank, with no malolactic, and the wine ages more than four years on lees. Dosage stays low, 1 to 3.5 g/L depending on the release, so the extra brut designation is earned. In magnum the wine ages more slowly and holds its freshness longer. Expect a pale gold with the faintest pink cast from the black grapes; orange blossom, strawberry, red apple, toasted brioche and a flinty edge; a very fine, soft mousse; and a dry, spiced finish with light phenolic grip.
The People
Nicolas Maillart studied engineering and oenology before returning to the family estate in Écueil in 2003, and the engineer shows in how he runs it. In 2009 he installed solar panels that cover most of the domaine's energy use, and the estate holds Haute Valeur Environnementale certification. He farms as organically as he can, with organic fertilizer, no herbicides and plowed rows, but dropped the pursuit of organic certification because not every member of the extended family that co-owns the vines would accept the risk. He picks late, often five days to two weeks after the official start, chasing ripeness without heavy sugar, and natural potential alcohol tends to land near 11%. Platine is the estate's calling card.
Food Pairing
Buttermilk fried chicken with a drizzle of hot honey is the classic move: acidity and bubbles scrub the fat while the red fruit handles the spice. Kettle chips with crème fraîche and a spoonful of trout roe give salt and crunch to match the flinty finish. A wild mushroom risotto finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano draws out the toasty, barrel-fermented side. Pork rillettes on grilled country bread round out the board. This is the bottle to carry into a holiday party, the one that empties before anyone checks what it was.
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Champagne is the northernmost major wine region in France, defined by its cool climate, chalky soils, and centuries-old tradition of sparkling wine production. Centered around the towns of Reims and Épernay, the region is divided into key subzones like the Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, and Côte des Blancs, each favoring different grapes—Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay respectively. The region’s signature chalk and limestone soils provide excellent drainage and impart a distinctive mineral character to the wines. While méthode champenoise was refined here in the 17th century, Champagne’s global prestige grew through the 19th and 20th centuries, cementing its role as the benchmark for sparkling wine worldwide.
