{"product_id":"r-pouillon-champagne-grande-vallee-extra-brut","title":"R. Pouillon Champagne Grande Vallée Extra-Brut","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChampagne is not one place, and the Grande Vallée is the short, privileged stretch of the Marne east of Épernay where the river bends and the slopes turn south: Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Avenay-Val-d'Or, Mutigny. This is Pinot Noir ground, and geologically it is not the pure chalk of the Côte des Blancs. Under Fabrice Pouillon's vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ the chalk runs 40 meters deep but is capped with Tertiary clay and sand, and he plants to that overlay: Pinot Noir on chalk-clay, Meunier where the clay thickens, Chardonnay where the topsoil thins over stone. This cuvée draws on five villages across two sub-regions, Mareuil, Avenay and Mutigny in the Grande Vallée, plus Épernay and Festigny further down the valley.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e65% Pinot Noir, 20% Meunier, 15% Chardonnay. Fermentation in demi-muids, barrels and small vats; full malolactic; six to nine months on lees before tirage; 18 to 24 months in bottle before disgorgement. The assemblage is current-vintage wine plus reserve held in French oak, blended for what tastes best rather than for house-style consistency, so it shifts from release to release. The detail that matters most is the dosage: Pouillon uses unfermented must from his own grapes instead of cane sugar or bought liqueur. That is more work and more risk than the standard route, and it is the clearest signal a grower can send about what they think Champagne is for. Ripe orchard fruit, citrus peel, crushed almond, a faint oxidative edge from the wood, firm Pinot structure, dry and mouthwatering at the close. Between 25,000 and 35,000 bottles per base vintage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoger Pouillon founded the estate in 1947 with his wife Bernadette and his uncle Louis Baulant. His son James joined in 1964 and modernized it. Fabrice took over in 1998 with degrees in business and oenology, and works roughly seven hectares split into some 40 identified parcels across Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Avenay, Épernay, Festigny, Mutigny and Tauxières. He began converting to organic viticulture in 2003. The vineyard work runs on horse ploughing, compost, cover crops, alternate-row tillage, pheromone mating disruption, herbal teas, and the biodynamic preparations 500 and 501. He publishes no certification, so read the farming as described rather than certified.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePinot-led and barrel-raised, this wants dinner more than it wants a toast. Roast chicken with the skin crisped and the pan juices poured back over it, whole trout with brown butter and almonds, aged comté and walnut bread, or a slab of jambon persillé with cornichons. The depth from the wood handles roasted and browned flavors that would flatten a leaner blanc de blancs, and the extra-brut finish resets the palate between bites of anything rich. Champagne with the meal rather than before it, which is how the people who grow it tend to drink it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Synergy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50915896525023,"sku":null,"price":79.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8060037.jpg?v=1786064823","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/r-pouillon-champagne-grande-vallee-extra-brut","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}