Pinot-Land is more exciting than ever. Montaigne de Reims means diversity: Meunier from sandy soils, broad-sho...

Pinot-Land is more exciting than ever. Montaigne de Reims means diversity: Meunier from sandy soils, broad-shouldered Pinots from Bouzy or delicate, fragile Champagnes out of Ludes… But I mostly love the region because of its Pinot-based Champagne. You can find old-school barrel fermented and aged Pinot based bottles, u can find the ones with perpetual or single vintage or Pinots from the tank… Stylistically, there’s so much to dig into. If you are a Pinot-Champagne lover like me, you will find many gorgeous bottles. But today, I want to write about the Blanc de Blancs from this sub-region. The edgy Blanc de Blancs from Chamery, B. Pointillard remains sharp and distinctive. It’s from 2015 and still needing time! It still shows a major step up from last year, but stays tense and angular. One year later, it started to find its voice. But again, the secondary aromas are emerging, this time after 3- 4 hours. Aged sur lie for 7 years, with a respectable amount of residual sugar (4.5g/L) and 2 years of bottle aging. On the nose, it’s unmistakably Chardonnay. The sugar helps significantly in balancing the edgy, boundary-pushing character. It’s not about showy fruit, it’s about elegance. Mineral. Zesty. Good length. In contrast, the other Blanc de Blancs brings warmth and generosity: lieu-dit Aurore Casanova bottle from Puisieulx. It hits a perfect balance between flintiness and reductive grip, layered with expressive fruit and expressive sweet spice. It’s showy, bold, and fully stealing the show in Pinot Land. Disgorged in 2024, the barrel influence is still a touch over the top, but for many of us, it was still in its sweet spot, because it smells like attractive, it smells like fine Burgundy. And honestly - who wouldn’t enjoy that? #champagnestudy #unicornwine #montaignedereims #reims #winediary