Bottle n° 1:
Champagne Marie Courtin
(Village de Polisot / Aube) – Cuvée Efflorescence (Blanc de Noirs 75 cl) – 100% Pinot Noir, issus de sélection massale cultivés en biodynamie – Vendange 2017 – Domaine en biodynamie – Certification AB – Extra Brut.

Behind Marie Courtin lies one of the finest winemakers on the Côte des Bar: Dominique Moreau. Behind the apparent simplicity of his method (1 year, 1 grape variety, biodynamics for everyone and no dosage) lies a terrible rigor, intense labor and complex, precise wines. Efflorescence is a gastronomic wine worth the wait! Luckily, we took care of that for you on this absolutely magnificent '17 vintage.

Bottle n° 2:
Champagne Aurélien Lurquin
(Village de Romery / Vallée de la Marne) – Cuvée Les Milieux (Blanc de Blancs 75 cl) – 85% Chardonnay et 15% de Petit Meslier – Vendange 2019 – 12 mois sur lies – Dégorgé le 10 novembre 2022 – 579 bouteilles produites – Brut Nature.

Beware, this is one of the finest bottles of Bon Manger, a very rare pearl. Wine merchants stash it away for their best customers (perhaps a little for themselves too, we must admit) while others get shamefully rich by reselling it online. On the web, you'll find everything you need to know about this exceptional winemaker and this almost unobtainable bottle - there's one for €360! If you want to be fleeced ...

Bottle n° 3:
Champagne Jérôme Blin
(Village de Vincelles / Vallée de la Marne) – Cuvée Les Champs de l’Épinette (Blanc de Noirs 75 cl) – 100% Pinot Noir – Vendange 2019 – Dégorgé en avril 2022 – 1000 bouteilles produites – Brut Nature. Biodynamie certifiée.

For those who haven't yet discovered Jérôme Blin's very special world, it's time to wake up. No stress, I'm a late starter too! The family has been in the wine business since 1671, but Jérôme (a colorful character) shook things up when he arrived, creating a very personal, very natural style whose common thread seems to be based solely on pleasure. A particularly earthy cuvée to sip by the fireside or with friends around a fine table.

Bottle n° 4:
Champagne Ruppert-Leroy
(Village de Essoyes / Aube) – Cuvée Papillon (Blanc de Noirs 75cl) – 100% Pinot Noir, issus de la parcelle de La Fosse – Vendange 2020 – Sol d’argile rouge sur dalle de calcaire – Dégorgé en octobre 2022 – Brut Nature.

In the trade, they're known as the Rupperts, and once you've heard the name, you know what you're talking about. You know the extraordinary, consistent quality of their champagnes, and their exemplary pricing. An unmissable reference.

Bottle n° 5:
Champagne Amaury Beaufort
(Village de Polisy / Aube) – Cuvée Le Jardinot (Blanc de Noirs 75cl) – Vendange 2020 – Dégorgé le 9 mai 2023 – Brut Nature.

In the Beaufort family (pioneers of agrobiology in Champagne), I ask for the son: Amaury, free electron, inventive and uninhibited (and yes, sometimes Champagne heritage can get in the way of personal development!). Amaury has launched himself brilliantly in 2019. His wines are rich in flavor, perfectly balanced between fruit and minerality. A must-try. Please note that Amaury only produces 6,000 bottles a year from his 88 ares of vines. Wake up!

Bottle n° 6:
Champagne Petit Clergeot
(Village de Polisot / Montagne de Reims) – Cuvée Chévry (Blanc de Noirs 75cl) – 100% Pinot Noir – Vendange 2020 – Dégorgé le 13 janvier 2023 – 654 bouteilles produites – Dosage zéro. Vignoble : 8 hectares répartis sur plusieurs communes : Polisot, Balnot-sur-Laignes, Les Riceys, Montgueux. Première vinification : 2018. En conversion bio.

Based in Polisot, a few kilometers from Burgundy, Paul Bastien Clergeot is a real agitator. We must try to follow him in his vines, in his cellar and in his "demosthenic" speech, we must listen to him and his instinctive approach to the vine and wine, in his visionary flashes, sometimes disconcerting but ultimately always of a great logic. The result is obviously mind-blowing! A very lively champagne without concession but which wins the support of many tasters of which we are obviously one.