Now that the iconic Marie-Noëlle Ledru has retired, her top wine, the Cuvée de Goulté, gives new meaning to the words “hard to find." And with no more Ledru Champagne made after 2016, it is very likely that her wines will, as Peter Liem has written, “soon go the way of Gentaz or Trollat.”

The reason Ledru’s cuvées are coveted by grower Champagne aficionados is how clearly they express the power allied with finesse of Pinot Noir from one of the region’s greatest terroirs for the variety, the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay.

With the other top Pinot Noir Champagnes, the 2009 Goulté is on the short list for Wine of the Vintage. Just like Charles Philipponnat’s 2009 Clos des Goisses and Anselme Selosse’s Bout du Clos (d’Ambonnay), the Goulté took full advantage of the warm year.

John Gilman “95 rating … simply beautiful wine on both the nose and palate. The first class bouquet offers up a complex constellation of white peach, tart orange, salty minerality, patisserie, white flowers and gentle smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and focused, with great mineral complexity on the backend, a lovely core, frothy mousse and stellar length and grip on the poised and still fairly youthful finish. Great juice.”