At A Glance
- Detail
- Information
- Region
- Champagne
- Village
- Rilly-la-Montagne, a Premier Cru village
- Vineyard
- More than four hectares in roughly fifteen named parcels
- Main grapes
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier
- Signature wine
- Prospérité 2012, vintage Brut
- Defining feature
- Récoltant-manipulant, from vine cultivation through commercialisation
The Producer
Isabelle and Sombath enrolled together at the Avize viticulture school in 2005, while Gabriel and Odile progressively passed on their vineyard and cellar knowledge. When Isabelle's parents retired in 2010, the couple began a new chapter. In 2017 they created Maison Couvreur-Prak.
Couvreur-Prak is a récoltant-manipulant, handling every stage from growing the vines through commercialisation. The house harvests its own grapes, presses them, ferments the wines, matures them, riddles the bottles and prepares the Champagnes for sale.
Place
Rilly-la-Montagne is the historic base of the house and a Premier Cru village in the Marne. Its principal parcels lie on the village slopes, where Pinot Noir is the preferred variety. Additional vines are planted in Connigis in the Aisne.
The village classification refers to the quality of the grapes produced there. Couvreur-Prak's vineyard therefore combines a Pinot Noir led home base with a second holding outside Rilly-la-Montagne.
Wines
The range has three named cuvées. Complicité is the blend of the three traditional Champagne grapes. Accomplissement is a Blanc de Blancs. Prospérité 2012 is the vintage Brut.
The vintage wine is composed of 34% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 33% Meunier. The bottles move from a broad three grape blend to a Blanc de Blancs and then to a Champagne organised around one declared vintage.
In The Glass
Prospérité 2012 has a deep golden colour and very fine bubbles. Honey, toasted brioche and dried yellow fruit shape the aroma. The palate is rich and fleshy, with mineral notes, roasted almond and candied citrus. Freshness, orange zest and chocolate notes complete the profile.
A Bottle To Understand It
Prospérité 2012 is the first bottle to open. It is the house's vintage Brut and has spent more than a decade ageing in the cellar. The dated vintage places the bottle in a different range category from Complicité and Accomplissement, whose identities come from blend and Blanc de Blancs style.
Final Word
Couvreur-Prak is a grower house rooted in Rilly-la-Montagne, with manual harvests and complete control of Champagne production from vine to bottle.