NV Suenen, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Extra Brut, C+C (RT97) The NV C+C, crafted with a blend of fruit from the Cramant and Chouilly Grand Crus and disgorged in December 2019, has truly blossomed in the last year and is now showing an extraordinary level of detail, depth and dimension. I was blown away at how stunning this most recent bottle showed, as I shared it with John Witmer, one of the owners and sommelier at Bird & Jim Restaurant in Estes Park Colorado. Truly amazeballs, the hue has deepened and the bouquet reveals notes of ripe Meyer lemon, white melon, layers of brioche, toast, roasted hazels nut and waves of limestone dust. The palate has also fleshed out magnificently showing a ripe richness that makes me smile. This is now in a gorgeous place along the aging curve and should fully be enjoyed while it’s showing so exceptionally well. Drink now-2035+ Tasted September 2025
On this evening, I chose to pair the C+C with Bird & Jim’s homemade Potato Chips with Onion dip, which proves an utterly mind-blowing pairing with champagne. Highly recommended!
Aurelien Suenen has been the winemaker at this emerging winery since 2009, but his family dates back to 1893, when they were acting as merchants selling grapes to champagne houses in the Cramant region. Under Daniel’s leadership they began making vintage-dated wine under Champagne Suenen label and embraced organic farming for the start. Though Suenen cultivates Pinot Noir and Meunier, he mostly sells off those grapes as their passion centers around Chardonnay and capturing the varied nuances of its different expressions resulting from the diversity of chalk soils of their vineyards in Oiry, Chouilly, and Cramant. This wine is a nonvintage bottling of 100% Chardonnay from two different vineyards, Chouilly & Cramant, both in the Cotes de Blancs region and thus the label name ‘C+C’. Average vineyard age is 38 years. It is aged about 9 months on the lees in 25% Stockinger (Austrian) neutral barrels, the balance in enameled steel and concrete. The bottled wine undergoes further aging for an additional 2 years and is hand riddled. Suenen employs some biodynamic treatments when they work but likes having the options of other tools in his vest when they aren’t ideal. Native yeasts are employed thus fermentation including malolactic occurs naturally.
