Pierre Mignon, Grande Réserve 1er Cru, Champagne

This is a gorgeous Champagne from a smaller producer who has recently been turning the heads of the wine trade. Not only are the prices excellent, but the quality is totally over the top for the value.

If you love Champagne for more than just the "pop", this is what you've been waiting for!

Located in the Marne valley, the Mignon family have farmed various parcels of vines in the Côtes des Blancs, Marne and Épernay for generations, now covering 14 hectares. The house style is one of freshness and vitality and the vineyards facilitate this with a brilliant mix of 60% Pinot Meunier, 10% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. The different regions proffer differing soil types, which allows the wine making teams the opportunity to create wonderful cuvées that benefit from having the right grape varieties in the right places, each benefitting from varied micro-climates as well. It's a very clever and dynamic approach that really yields excellent quality. 

They use only their own grapes, making it a Domaine in any other part of France, but keep the door open in case of bad or challenging harvests. In fact, this is a Premier Cru Champagne which means that the grapes only come from vineyards designated as Premier Cru, which should be reason for mass celebration, surely? Well, yes and no; the Classification on vineyards in Champagne really hasn't been a qualitative delineation as it is in, say, Burgundy, because the climate is just so much harder to work with; plus, for a majority of non-vintage cuvées, it is the producer who often has a larger input into the quality outcome than the nuance of vineyard origin. 

The blend for this cuvée is 80% Meunier, with 10% each Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; the blended wines are aged for a minimum of 36 months and the result is a Champagne that gives citrus notes with touches of brioche and sweet yeast. The palate is bright, fresh, clean as a whistle, while showing complexity and layers. The mousse is creamy and lively leading to a long, balanced and delicious finish. 

Decanter Magazine like it too: Melted candle wax and the flesh of ripe plums combine on the nose. Simmered fruit compote notes with foamy freshness on the palate with good intensity and reasonable length. 91 Points