K&L Wine Merchants Wine News Champagne November 2023

We have a new direct-import producer in stock, from the famous perle blanche de la Montagne de Reims—the white pearl of the mountain of Reims—the 1er Cru of Trépail. This is one of the rare spots on the mountain where Chardonnay instead of Pinot Noir is king. The village faces east to catch the morning sun and is sought after for its ability to produce Chardonnay with not only great minerality and crisp acidity, but also great white fruit. The Petiau family has 15 acres in total, with some vines in Ambonnay Grand Cru and Vaudemange 1er Cru as well. All of the wine that we have in stock was entirely stainless-steel fermented and everything goes through malolactic fermentation, although they do have an amphora now whose wines will appear in a future cuvée. In the past, they operated the grape vine nursery in Trépail, and they have used their knowledge of the plants to maintain their own massal selection. They have no commercial clones in their vineyards at all, and some of their vines are over 80 years old. Up until now, most of their sales have been at the cellar door in France, and this is the first time the wines have been available in the U.S. Since we buy direct from Lorène Petiau, the prices are amazing for our K&L Champagne fans.

The Petiau Brut Grande Réserve Champagne $34.99 ($69.99 in magnum) is composed of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir with five years on the lees and is based on the 2017 harvest. The magnum gets an extra year on the lees and is based on 2016. This wine has a beautiful white-gold color and has nice subtle brioche on the nose as well as the pure white fruit of the village. In the mouth it is exceptionally poised, and creamy with a texture that must be tasted to be believed at this price. This is the place to start with these wines, and the finish is long, fresh, and quite mineral.

Also an incredible value for money, the Petiau Brut Rosé Champagne $34.99 will impress those that like a light, airy, dry style of rosé. It is half each Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and gets its color from a small percentage of red wine from the Trépail/Ambonnay border, the best spot in the village for Pinot Noir. I love the elegant Rainier cherry fruit, the chalky back end, and the clean, dry mid-palate that the high percentage of Chardonnay brings to this wine.

The big surprise from the lineup is the Petiau Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne $39.99- which is entirely from Ambonnay Grand Cru. The family has a little over an acre of chardonnay in this famous village, and it produces one of the most creamy, exotic, yet utterly saline and dry style. It is all 2018, a very warm year, and I wrote in all caps in my notebook, “PROFOUND MINERALITY”. We only received 60 bottles, so if you are interested, don’t wait.

I was able to talk Lorène out of 120 bottles of the Petiau "Cuvée Prestige" Brut Champagne $49.99, which is one of the best bottles of Grower Champagne I have tasted in a while—and a surprise since there is so little hype surrounding this house. The trick here is the vine age—it comes from their oldest plots, the mother vines for their massals, and includes some vines of over 80 years. This wine has also been kept patiently for over six years on the lees and the current batch is based on the very good 2016 harvest. It is composed of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir and has a flash of real gold color to go along with the tiny streamers in the glass. The fruit is mostly from Trepail, but includes Ambonnay and Vaudemange in the blend, and has an extraordinary bouquet with a top note of white flowers, a frame of brioche, and more than a little cream. In the mouth it is dry and has the great acidic focus of old-school Champagne, I think because of the vine age. The finish is the best part, super long, bright, and chalky as anything.

I feel lucky to have these wines in the store—I hope you will join me in having a glass or two!

A toast to you,

- Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer