By now, we’re all back into the swing of things, busy again with school pick-ups, and the office a flurry of activity and energetic chatter as the foundations are laid for the year ahead.
In cool, wintry Champagne, the growers have also returned to the vineyards after a festive holiday season, armed with secateurs to resume the careful and precise task of pruning, which is necessary for the harmonious and healthy growth of their vines. It takes about 200 hours to prune one hectare, and it is tough, painstaking, laborious work in cold, sometimes muddy conditions, under the grey winter sky.
Based in the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs, the passionate winemaking family behind Champagne Pertois-Moriset are no strangers to arduous vineyard work. Now run by third-generation vintners—Cécile Pertois and her husband, Vincent Bauchet—the Pertois-Moriset family have tended to vines here since 1951 and today preside over 20.7ha of vines spread across the Côte des Blancs and the Côte de Sézanne.
Converting to organic farming in August 2021, Cécile and Vincent work intimately with the vines throughout the year, from planting natural grass cover to protect the soil and to suppress weeds during winter, to ploughing the soil in spring using the region’s first 100% electric tractor (the Tesla of the vineyard!). Where possible, chemicals are avoided. It is this profound respect for their ancestors’ land and their meticulous attention to detail, along with their drive to consistently improve and innovate their winemaking procedures (in 2009, Cécile and Vincent built a brand-new winery and cellar, launching a new range of low-dosage and terroir-centric grower champagnes in 2018, including single-village and single-parcel expressions), that have ensured the Pertois-Moriset legacy lives on.
The House is also a member of the exclusive Club Trésors de Champagne in Reims—a prestigious association of 20+ vignerons renowned for producing prestige vintage cuvées, known as Spécial Club cuvées, in accordance with strict specifications and standards that reflect the authenticity, know-how and excellence of small grower-producers and their unique terroirs.
Today, Cécile and Vincent’s champagnes are celebrated for their distinct character, edgy minerality and integrated acidity, and we are so pleased to be able to share a selection of their latest champagne releases with our Grower Champagne Club members this month.
Read on to discover more about these cuvées, designed to add cheer and sparkle to the hustle and bustle of February!
Cécile and Vincent’s introductory cuvée, L’Assemblage, is the perfect champagne for discovering the House style. Abeautifully arranged and finely tuned blend of Pinot noir and Chardonnay that offers both freshness and richness with delightful buoyancy and balance on the palate, L’Assemblage is ideal as a pre-dinner apéritif or paired with an entrée dish.
A Blanc de Blancs champagne, Les Quatre Terroirs is elaborated exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards located in the Côte des Blancs, where the Chardonnay has a noble yet delicate and distinctive quality. A truly delightful grower champagne with a cachet of opulence and plenty of flair in minerality to suit all parties and ceremonies.
Elaborated from Côte des Blancs Chardonnay and Bouzy Rouge (still red wine made from Pinot noir grown in the village of Bouzy in the Montagne de Reims), Rosé Blanc is a delicious champagne rosé that expertly balances elegance and power, showcasing the finesse and fortissimo of prized Grand Cru terroir.
Distinguished from the House’s other cuvées, where stainless steel tank fermentation predominates to preserve terroirexpression, PM Édition cuvées do not aim to express a single terroir but, rather, focus on bringing together Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and treating it with oak to add layers of complexity. The result: a fun but by no means frivolous Blanc de Blancs that can rival even oak-aged white Burgundy in its depth and concentration!
A showpiece for Cécile and Vincent’s ‘Mono-Villages’ series, Oger 2017 presents a pure and transparent expression of Grand Cru Chardonnay terroir with fine, elegant detail and aerial minerality. It is best enjoyed with rich and aromatic seafood and shellfish.
Another cuvée in Cécile and Vincent’s ‘Mono-Villages’ series, Barbonne-Fayel is the Estate’s one and only Blanc de Noirs offering—and it is pure, unadulterated vintage grower champagne perfection. Made from 100% Pinot noir, Barbonne-Fayel presents a unique and fascinating expression of the black grape varietal, which, here, takes on an edgy intensity as the distinctive Côte de Sézanne soil infuses the fruit with kinetic mineral drive.
Interested in being among the first to know about—and taste!—our newest champagne arrivals and seasonal discoveries?
Join Sally Hillman’s Grower Champagne Club, the only Champagne Club in Australia dedicated to grower champagne, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
This month, we’re also excited to launch another membership level of our Grower Champagne Club: the Essentiel. This is the information-only tier of our Club, allowing subscribers to join our Classique, Premier Cru and Grand Cru Club members in enjoying unlimited access to our extensive library of House biographies, tasting notes, personal articles, educational content and appellation cartography online. It is the perfect Grower Champagne Club tier for those who love artisanal champagne and want to enjoy it on their own terms, whether it’s during the season, on special occasions, or just because.
So, what are you waiting for? Join Sally Hillman’s Grower Champagne Club today to find out more about Champagne Pertois-Moriset and uncover hidden treasures every month!
In Champagne, January sits—in the middle of winter—between the harvest of last year’s vintage and the start of new growth (bud burst) for the