Champagne Extra Brut
Les Pierrières

The Champagne Les Pierrières by Ulysse Collin comes from the parcel from which the Domaine produced its first cuvée, in 2004, a single plot of around 1.3 hectares in the Coteaux du Petit Morin, in the south-western sector of the Côte des Blancs. The Chardonnay vines, planted in the 1970s, grow on a layer of topsoil just 10-15 centimetres deep resting on Campanian chalk rich in black flint, a soil that gives the wine a clear minerality and a recognisable smoky character.

This edition “Vieillissement en cave de 48 mois”, based on the 2020 harvest, is a Blanc de Blancs made solely from Chardonnay grapes, with vinification and spontaneous fermentation in old oak pièces from Burgundy, where indigenous yeasts work for three to six months before malolactic fermentation, without fining or filtration. After tirage comes a long ageing of 48 months on the lees before dégorgement, while the final dosage, in Extra Brut style, preserves the tension of the wine.

On tasting, Les Pierrières opens with aromas of yellow apple, ripe citrus and smoky hints, accompanied by white pepper, fresh chalk and a light pastry note from the long time on the lees. On the palate the mousse is fine and creamy and the structure is taut and precise, with the full ripeness of the fruit balanced by lively, firm acidity, while white-fleshed fruit, green melon and hazelnut support the development towards a saline, chalky finish of great depth and long persistence.