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The most northern of Suenen’s Oiry parcels, La Cocluette is also home to the domaine’s oldest vines (planted in 1925), a site where the ancient roots bury deep into the dense Campanian chalk (the younger plantings from this site go into the Oiry Blanc de Blancs). Vines of this age are as rare as hens’ teeth in Champagne, giving tiny yields of concentrated berries. The land here is largely flat with a somewhat northern exposure.
The base wine fermented naturally and aged for nine months in one 700-litre concrete egg and one 600-litre Stockinger barrel (the same one is used each year). It then aged sur lies for 60 months in bottle until disgorgement in June 2023, when it was dosed with 3 g/L.
Suenen explains that the wines from this vineyard express themselves with great finesse. “The energy brought by this calcium-rich terroir makes the mouthfeel richer through a silky bubble. With time, the finish lengthens on a salivating mineral vibrancy.” Put another way, this is a more intense and complex expression of this region’s naked-chalk terroir than the NV Oiry. The 2017 harvest produced less than 2,000 bottles.
True to its vintage, this is loaded with racy white stone fruit flecked by traces of smoke and iodine. It’s underscored by a piercing core of chalky minerality, turning more linear and pointed on the long, lemon oil and kaffir lime-scented finish. It’s in a class of its own and a fine successor to the brilliant 2016.