NV Charles Orban Carte Noire Brut Champagne 750 ml

Restaurant DANIEL knows great Champagne. Their robust Champagne program is a big reason why they’ve held a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 2002. And for The Waitlist, they’ve selected Champagne Charles Orban’s lush and balanced Carte Noire.

It’s a bottle that reminds us why we love grower Champagne so much. The sheer complexity of Champagne’s terroir can sometimes get lost in the shadow of its négociant giants. The little valleys. The hillsides where the afternoon sun hits just so. The pockets of fascinating terroir. Places like the gently sloping vineyards of Troissy, where the Orban family has been tending vineyards since the late 1700s. 

On the banks of the Marne River, this tiny village’s vineyards sit on north-facing slopes, rich with clay and marl, and Pinot Meunier absolutely loves it. The variety—which occupies 85% of the grapes grown here—has recently cast off its antiquated “third wheel” reputation, finding favor among Champagne tastemakers for its soft fruit, supple texture, and fresh acidity. 

Orban based their Carte Noire on Meunier, with smaller portions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s a creamy and well-balanced wine, with layered aromas of green apple, lemon marmalade, hazelnut praline, and ginger leading into a generous and expressive palate, where uplifting acidity carries citrus and nutty notes to the finish. 

The Orban family began farming vineyards around Troissy in 1770. In 1950, Charles Orban bolted from the Troissy cooperative to found his own house. Nearly 50 years later, he sold it to the influential Rapeneau family, who carry on its legacy of estate-grown Champagnes.

Their Carte Noire shines a much-deserved spotlight on an intriguing piece of the region’s lesser-known terroir, while expressing the delicious virtues of Pinot Meunier.