Émilien Boutillat on Pinot Essentials
The Piper-Heidsieck Chef de Cave introduces his 'new baby'
There aren’t many Blanc de Noirs from Champagne’s Maisons. That may come as a surprise, but compared to all-Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs, Champagnes from 100% black grapes are very much a minority sport amongst the big names. Yes, there are some very limited releases from Bollinger and Billecart-Salmon, Gosset and Palmer & Co...but regular cuvées? Hardly any.
It’s difficult to achieve the freshness and elegance many houses want to focus on without a touch of Chardonnay, it seems. For Émilien Boutillat, though, this was a challenge worth taking on. “Piper-Heidsieck has always been connected with Pinot Noir first, so in a way this cuvée is about who we are”, he explained as we sat down in Paris. Perhaps, even more than that, it’s about who Boutillat himself is, too - it’s the first cuvée conceived and made entirely by Champagne’s youngest Chef de Cave, start-to-finish. “It’s my first baby….and the style of Blanc de Noirs I like is all about vibrancy of fruit. Sometimes Blanc de Noirs can be a bit heavy, a bit powerful, a bit vinous, and we wanted something different.”
An original assemblage
Where to head, then? Firstly, to the 2019 vintage. Ripe, fruity, generous but refreshing, too. Secondly, and notably, the selection of crus; 80% Pinot Noir from Ambonnay, Aÿ and the Côte des Bar (Meurville, Fontette and Neuville-sur-Seine) 20% Meunier predominantly from Cormicy (in the Massif de Saint Thierry), Courmas (in the Ardre), Verneuil, Cuchery in the Marne valley and Villevenard in the Val du Petit Morin.
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