Les Closeaux
Professional reviews and tasting notes from prior vintages added as published. Scores within parentheses indicate barrel samples:
2020 Les Closeaux
96 Points
This is the third rendition of the Les Closeaux ... A brilliant salmon color with a silky mousse upon entry, this offers ginger and Macadamia nut on the nose alongside red raspberry and shades of toasted brioche. The palate is extremely mineral-laden with less weight than the 2019 edition — but boasting more mouth-watering acidity. This performs quite a bit better at a warmer temperature, using a Riedel Riesling stem. Enjoy this impossible to resist Champagne now and over the next fifteen years to come. –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
2019 Les Closeaux
96 Points
Amalfi lemons, Asian pears, seashells and sourdough on the nose, with a touch of honeysuckle and some celery salt. It’s delicate but powerful on the palate, with tight and very fine bubbles, vibrant acidity and a long, structured and salty finish. So fresh and so full of potential. 100% Pinot Meunier ... –James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
96 Points
...A wine with serious personality, the aromas of quince and ripe nectarine come to mind alongside salted cashew nut and shades of marzipan. The palate is plush and soft with a refined mousse and glorious length with sous bois and flinty accents ... –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
95 Points
My favorite of the Christophe Baron offerings ... It’s compelling on opening, with more depth and a layered profile, offering lots of pure Meunier fruit of framboise, shortbread, orange blossoms, and chalky earth. Moving to the palate with ease, this medium to full-bodied Champagne rounds out the palate with a pillowy mousse and a long, even, and balanced finish ... –Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com
94 Points
Savory and mineral, the 2019 Brut Nature Les Closeaux races across the palate, offering waves of saline-drenched Meunier character. A Champagne of nerve and tension, the Les Closeaux is nicely finessed and quite restrained ... –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
2018 Les Closeaux
96 Points
Lovely aromas of dried apples and yellow cherries with bread dough, spiced orange peel, dried rosemary, chamomile and pie crust. Its medium-bodied and structured with clean and pointy acidity throughout, with a creamy mousse. It’s tense and will need some time. Beautiful chalky minerality to close. 1,599 magnums produced. 100% pinot meunier. From organically grown grapes. Disgorged April 2022. Zero dosage. Try after 2024. –James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
96 Points
This is a new wine to this portfolio, as the Les Closeaux comes from a 1.49 acre parcel located in the town of Crouttes-sur-Marne. Vines from this site were first planted all the way back in 1925. Very dense like the other wines of this lineup, this offers concentrated gooseberry, pear, flint, lemon rind and starfruit flavors alongside pastry crust and cardamom notes on the palate. Full of tension, with serious weight, this beauty is just starting to hit its stride. Initially a bit reticent, give it 20-30 minutes in the decanter if consuming now to indulge in the full range of flavors. –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
95 Points
Ripe and inviting, this is another fantastic wine from Christophe Baron. Pouring a shimmering straw with a subtle copper hue, the 2018 Champagne Les Closeaux Brut Nature is also generous with fruit-forward appeal out of the gates, revealing notes of fresh apricot, tangerine, hay, and honeycomb. Elegant and even on the palate, it has a pillowy mousse similar to the 2019, with lovely concentration for the vintage and notes of ripe citrus through the finish. It is a lovely wine to enjoy over the coming 15 years. Disgorged April 2022. 1599 magnums were produced. –Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com
94 Points
The 2018 Brut Nature Les Closeaux (Magnum) is the most open and accessible of Christophe Baron's 2018s. It has plenty of Meunier character, but also softer edges that make it very easy to enjoy today. Dried pear, spice, mint, red cherry, and crushed rocks abound. The Closeaux could easily be mistaken for Pinot Noir given its flavor profile and overall feel. At the same time, sandy soils confer notable sensuality. It's a gorgeous wine by any measure. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous