# Puisieulx Grand Cru 'Les Petites Vignes' Pinot Noir (NV)

- **Producer:** Aurore Casanova
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Champagne, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €95
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, grapefruit, orange, redcurrant, apple, brioche, toast, butter, vanilla, cream, almond, hazelnut, honey, dried fig, prune

## About this wine

Aurore Casanova, a former professional prima ballerina with the Paris Opera, returned to her family's roots in Champagne in 2011. Together with her husband Jean-Baptiste Robinet, she crafts highly sought-after, micro-produced Champagnes. 'Les Petites Vignes' is a single-vineyard expression from Puisieulx, historically one of the smallest and most obscure of Champagne's 17 Grand Crus. Located in the Montagne de Reims, this east-facing parcel features old vines planted in 1968-1969. Casanova's artistic background translates into wines of immense grace, precision, and structural balance.

## Interesting facts

- Founder Aurore Casanova was a professional prima ballerina with the Paris Opera before returning to her family's Champagne estate in 2011.
- Puisieulx is one of the smallest and most obscure of Champagne's 17 Grand Crus, making single-vineyard expressions from it exceptionally rare.
- The Pinot Noir vines in the 'Les Petites Vignes' parcel were planted in 1968-1969 using mass selection (sélection massale).

## Food pairing

This highly structured, vinous Blanc de Noirs behaves more like a great still white Burgundy with bubbles. Its high acidity cuts through rich fats, while the oak-aged complexity and Pinot Noir fruit weight demand substantial dishes like roasted white meats, rich poultry, or savory tarts rather than delicate seafood.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process follows a highly natural, Burgundian-inspired approach. Grapes are harvested manually and undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wine is fermented and aged on its fine lees for 11 months without racking in neutral French oak barrels and acacia casks. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to complete naturally. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, the wine undergoes secondary fermentation and ages on the lees in bottle for 2 to 3 years. It is finished with an ultra-low dosage of 0 to 0.7 g/L, classifying it as Extra Brut or Brut Nature.