Pierre Gerbais Bochot Extra Brut

Aurélien Gerbais vividly recalls the harrowing incident when his grandmother nearly perished due to pesticide and fungicide poisoning. This alarming event became the catalyst for the family's decision to eschew chemical treatments in their vineyards, thus embracing organic farming practices. This paradigm shift took place in the 1990s. Today, three decades later, hailing from Celler-sur-Ource in the Aube department, Pierre Gerbais wineries continue to set the standard in the A.O.C. Champagne region.

The lineage of this family extends back four generations to 1910 when brothers Ulysse and André became pioneers in their village by grafting vines. Their efforts gradually bore fruit, with profits being reinvested into acquiring more land in the heart of the Côte des Bar, at the juncture of four valleys, eventually expanding to the current 18 hectares under the stewardship of Aurélien Gerbais. However, what truly stands out is not the expanse but the exceptional quality of the vines, with vineyards averaging between 80 and 110 years old (an extraordinary anomaly within the A.O.C. Champagne), primarily planted with pinot blanc, pinot noir, and chardonnay. "My grandfather was bequeathed 40 acres of vineyards as a wedding gift, and he continuously expanded the domain to the present 18 hectares," Aurélien reflected with esteem in a 2015 interview with Terre de Vins.

The Aube area is the southernmost and warmest part of the Champagne appellation. Consequently, the sparkling wines from Pierre Gerbais tend to exhibit a more pronounced fruitiness over acidity, diverging from the traditional Champagne style and edging closer to that of Burgundy. A prime illustration is the dry sparkling wine Pierre Gerbais Bochot Extra Brut. This champagne originates from the marl soils characteristic of the Aube region. The clusters are meticulously handpicked and, after crushing, are processed in a traditional Champagne press to extract the juice. Following a brief settling process (where the juice is clarified at 12°C), each plot is vinified separately in small stainless steel tanks. Here, Pierre Gerbais Bochot Extra Brut undergoes fermentation with indigenous yeasts and completes malolactic fermentation artisanally, all within the same vessel, without the addition of any additives (save for a minimal dose of sulfur at bottling). Naturally, this means that Pierre Gerbais Bochot Extra Brut is neither fined nor filtered.