Pierre Gerbais, Pinot Noir, Champagne "Les Grandes Côtes" Blanc de Noirs, Celles-Sur-Ource, France NV

100% Pinot Noir

With an intoxicating bouquet of brioche, sultana and poached pear, Les Grandes Côtes greets the palate with bready notes before relaxing into an unhurried procession of lovely, vibrant fruit. Lifted flavors of red apple, pear, raspberry and redcurrant stretch across the mid-palate, enriched with a light toastiness that lingers over the dry and grippy finish, brimming with citrus pith and minerality that is pure and present but not overpowering.

The lieu-dit of Les Grandes Côtes sits on fascinating terroir of both Kimmeridgian and Portlandian soil — unique to the Côte des Bar region of southernmost Champagne and to Chablis and Sancerre. Comprising marl and fossil-rich limestone, Kimmeridgian soil imparts acidity and a notable minerality to vines, whereas Portlandian soil is harder and more brittle, containing less clay and no fossils, resulting in a fruitier wine profile. Through this Blanc de Noirs champagne, the Gerbais family unifies contrasting expressions of Pinot noir, conveying the balance, grace and power of both terroirs in captivating equilibrium.

Champagne Pierre Gerbais is a fourth generation domaine in the Aube. It is spearheaded today by the 20-something Aurélien Gerbais, unnervingly self-assured for his age yet soft-spoken and humble. At Gerbais, there are old vines, organic vineyard management, intelligence, respect, passion, relevance, training and drive enough to take this house to the very top of a small band of visionary champagne makers in the Aube.

The winery and all the vineyards are located in Celles-sur-Ource, at the confluence of four valleys carved by the rivers Seine, Arce, Laigne and Ource. The Ource here runs its course from east to west, with vineyards located on both of its banks. Locals call the northern bank the endroit, the good side, because it faces south, and they call the southern bank the envers, the wrong side, because it faces north. The geology of the vineyards in the Aube is unlike that of northern Champagne, however, it is very much like Burgundy's.