Pierre Moncuit Millésimé Grand Cru Extra Brut

At the end of the 19th century, Alex Moncuit acquired a few hectares of vineyards in the Côte de Blancs, in the A.O.C. Champagne (northwest France), in Mesnil-sur-Oger. With that, this vigneron wrote the first chapter in this family’s history, a family not known around the world for their champagnes. Today the winery is in the hands of Valérie Charpentier, his great-granddaughter, who together with her mother Nicole Moncuit has taken over production. Since 2007 Valérie Charpentier has been adding her signature and identity by making champagnes with great minerality and little residual sugar, like Pierre Moncuit Millésimé Grand Cru Extra Brut.

The grapes used to make Pierre Moncuit Millésimé Grand Cru Extra Brut are grown on the 20 hectares that the Moncuit family cultivates in three villages. Most of them, about 15 hectares, are located in Mesnil-Sur-Oger, where they own the oldest vines in the village (about 50 years old). The other five are divided between the Côte de Sézzane and its clos (a walled property considered a Premier Cru). In terms of varieties, they exclusively focus on Chardonnay, the only nuance-rich variety that is cultivated by this winery because the family, especially Nicole and Valérie, have decided to concentrate on showcasing these profiles, resulting in very distinct wines. As for the terroir of this area, located just an hour and a half from Paris, it is defined by a calcareous chalky soil (with a high water capacity) and a double climate: oceanic (with rainfall and mild temperatures) and continental (which provides hours of sunshine).

After harvesting and sorting, the Pierre Moncuit Millésimé Grand Cru Extra Brut grapes are taken to the winery where each step is considered crucial. In particular, the family has invested in new and modern facilities that allow each plot to be vinified separately until bottling. After various blends, where Nicole and Valèrie work to find the profile they are looking for, Pierre Moncuit Millésimé Grand Cru Extra Brut is made using the traditional method with double fermentation in the bottle. The only thing left then is the aging process, also known as the rima phase, where, following a second fermentation, the wine spends time in contact with the dead lees. For Moncuit, this phase has no set time or rule, because only by tasting will they know when each vintage is ready. No rush and no set times. Pierre Moncuit Millésimé Grand Cru Extra Brut should speak for itself. You just have to know how to listen and interpret.