From: Les Mesnil-Sur-Oger, Côtes des Blancs, Champagne, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: The wine presents a straw yellow color with golden reflections and a fine perlage. Its bouquet features an array of fruity aromas, including citrus blossom, yellow plums, and apricots, complemented by notes of toasted hazelnuts and brioche. On the palate, it delivers a fresh, mineral-driven profile, with flavors of candied ginger, citrus rind, and a refined chalky minerality, with a lingering finish.
Pairing: For a perfect match, consider options such as fried calamari with a squeeze of lemon, where the wine’s citrus notes and fine perlage cut through the richness, or sushi, especially nigiri, and sashimi, where the fresh and mineral palate complements the delicate fish. Thai green curry pairs well with the wine. Grilled scallops and grilled oysters make a great summer match. Roast chicken with lemon herb butter benefits by adding depth to the dish. Dim sum, especially shrimp dumplings and spring rolls, is enhanced by the wine’s fresh and mineral characteristics, bringing out the savory and umami notes of the dishes.
Shrimp and Scallop Dumplings
By David Tanis
About. The Moncuit estate, a family-run vineyard in Les Mesnil-sur-Oger, has been meticulously farming grapes for five generations, beginning with Alex Moncuit in 1889. Alex’s grandson, Robert Moncuit, created the estate's first cuvée and estate-bottled champagne in 1928. After Robert’s passing, his daughter Francoise took over in 1987, later passing the reins to her son Pierre Amillet in 2000, who remains at the helm today.
Among the estate's holdings, two vineyards stand out: Les Vozémieux and Les Chétillons. The domaine owns 1.5 hectares in Oger, with 66 acres in the Les Vozémieux climat, where vines were planted in 1955. The 2010 vintage marked the first time Pierre bottled Les Vozémieux as a single vineyard wine, intended to compare it with his Les Chétillons bottling. Despite being only 500 meters apart, Les Vozémieux faces north, while Les Chétillons is south-facing.
The estate adheres to sustainable farming practices, occupying 8 hectares in the Côte des Blancs region and eschewing pesticides and herbicides. Grapes are hand-harvested and sorted, with each parcel vinified separately to optimize blending outcomes. The wines are fermented and aged in a combination of tanks and oak barrels, with a strong focus on extended lees contact to enhance precision and minerality. Pierre Amillet prefers using 228L and 350L barrels, allowing the wines to age slowly and undergo complete natural malolactic fermentation.
Wine Notes: Vinification of both parcels (Les Vozémieux & Les Chétillons) follows identical methods: fermentation in barrels, natural malolactic fermentation, aging in wood until the summer after harvest, and bottling on cork without chapitalization or filtration. The wines finished as Extra Brut with nearly zero dosage, reveal unique profiles when tasted side by side. Les Vozemieux, more open and rounded, contrasts with the leaner, more direct Les Chétillons. This difference stems solely from terroir and soil, as both parcels, despite being only 500 meters apart, share similar vine ages but differ in exposure—Les Vozemieux faces north, leading to later maturation, while Les Chétillons faces southeast.
