Champagne Ambroise Grand Cru Petit & Bajan
Managing a "garden" of only 3 hectares in the Champagne vineyard may seem very simple since the great Maison lead hundreds of them with dynamism and concreteness. But for Richard and Veronique it is a completely different story: plowing with the horse of the land to give vitality to the plants, maniacal parcel selections, grape harvests calibrated to the minute to harvest grapes with a perfect synthesis between maturity and acidity, no enrichment of musts or other exogenous practice, only flower must, indigenous yeasts grown in the Maison, refinements very long (currently in steel), obsessive prevention of oxidation at every stage of processing, frequent search for single vintage cuvée (not surprisingly 3 of the 4 labels produced are undeclared vintage wines).
Blended with 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, both from Grand Cru vineyards (Avize, Verzy, Verzenay). Cuvèe made up of several vintages (2016-2015-2014), with 30% of Vin de Reserve. Malolactic fermentation carried out, resting on the yeasts for over 36 months. Dosage at disgorgement in Extra Brut (even if defined as Brut): 3 gr / l. The 9 months post-disgorgement period in the bottle before being put on the market is judicious.
Bright and clear in color, the aromas are well articulated between citrus, golden apple, lime blossom. The attack is fresh, tonic, flickering with mature and integrated acidity, fine and continuous bubbles, a slightly contrasted finish between the savory notes and the sweet notes of the dosage. Easy sip but dense and rich Champagne.
Petit & Bajan
The story of Veronique Bajan and Richard Petit tells of the union between the vineyards of Verzenay and Avize, the latter place where the two young spouses set up a home and where the idea of producing great Champagnes was born over the years. Theirs is the path of many champagnotte families that come together, each bringing a dowry of Terroirs and different farming experiences. The year 2008 is when Veronique and Richard, during a convivial summer dinner, listen to the tasting notes of a small group of renowned winemaker friends from Burgundy, the subject of a series of Champagne "made in Avize". For them it is enlightenment! Every single mistake, defect and lack of those bottles becomes a warning for their future project: if Champagne is to be, it will be at the highest levels, whatever the cost.
The puzzle of plots between Verzenay (Les Vinzelles, Mourmelonnes, Le Moulin and La Voie des Vaches) and Verzy dowry of Veronique (his father Jean-Pierre was the fulcrum of Maison Lanson for 30 years) mixes with the vineyards in Cote des Blancs di Richard to form their research and experimentation laboratory. A handful of hectares, 3 in total, and only 12,000 bottles (all Grand Cru) produced; the rest of the grapes sold dearly in Billecart-Salmon. Meticulous and careful in preserving the environment, the Petit et Bajan vines are now all HVE certified (high environmental value) and some have been converted to organic. Last but not least, in 2019, the renovation of the cellar in Avize as yet another starting point for new challenges.
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