J. Vignier

Champagne | Côte de Blancs | Cramant

Vignier’s holdings are now in the Grand Cru Villages of Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, as well as some parcels in the Côte de Sézanne. Nathalie first worked as an insurance adjuster for wineries in Burgundy and Champagne and was called home to take over the estate by her father. She is slowly aligning the estate to her philosophy: higher ripeness, a return of oak to the cellar and no use of herbicides or pesticides. The Vignier family motto is “La bonté de l’esprit et la grandeur de courage,” which means “the goodness in spirit, and the courage to greatness.” There is a lot to look forward to from this grower in the future.

J. Vignier "Silexus Sezannensis" Brut

This marks the first of the range of single parcel Champagnes that drew us to Nathalie Vignier in the first place, and for which we had to wait two years to get. The name of this first Champagne tells you what it is exactly: silex soil champagne from the Côte de Sézanne. This region extends south of the Côte des Blancs and Nathalie’s family has been purchasing land here for several decades. The region is dominated by chardonnay grown on chalk and marl, like the more famous Côte to the north. In fact, the subsoil remains Cretaceous chalk throughout the Sézanne before turning to Kimmeridgian chalk as one moves toward the Aube. 4 of Vignier's 12 hectares here are in a parcel called “Chatet” near the village of Saudoy, and the soil here is silex, a flint and sand based soil mixed with chalk, marl, clay and silica. Vignier’s other parcels are in Vindey, which is pure chalk, and oak forests which they are starting to harvest for barrels. Ultimately, this wine will be fermented in these barrels from the local oak forests they own in the Sézanne. The wine is vinified and aged in stainless steel until bottling in May following harvest before spending a minimum of 84 months en tirage prior to disrogement.

  • N.V.
  • Chardonnay
  • France
  • Champagne
  • Côte de Sézanne
  • Certified Sustainable by Socofret
  • Chatet
  • South
  • Silex over Cretaceous chalk
  • 84 months in bottle
  • Stainless steel
  • 2011
  • Sugar cane 5
  • 6.0
  • Summer 2019
  • 750 ml

822 Salisbury Turnpike - Milan, New York - 12571 | 845-266-0376 | https://schatziwines.com | info@schatziwines.com