Pierre Moncuit Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Pierre Moncuit is a relatively small, family-run grower in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the great Chardonnay villages of Champagne’s Côte des Blancs.
The history
The family’s history in Le Mesnil goes back to 1889, when Alex Moncuit acquired vineyards there. His son Pierre began making and selling wine under his own name in 1928. (A note about a detail on the label: “Delos” isn’t a vineyard. It is a family name. The cuvée honors Odile Moncuit-Delos, wife of Pierre Moncuit, who helped him develop the business.) Pierre’s daughter Nicole Moncuit joined the domaine in 1977; her brother Yves followed in 1980 to handle the commercial side. Nicole took complete responsibility for winemaking in 1982, and she was one of the relatively few women making Champagne at that time. Her daughter Valérie Charpentier joined the domaine in 2007 and now heads Champagne Pierre Moncuit, continuing essentially the same house style.
This is a grower Champagne operation—a récoltant-manipulant rather than one of the huge négociant houses. The domaine controls about 20 hectares [50 acres]. The domaine says its vineyards are planted exclusively to Chardonnay and are about 50 years of age. And, Moncuit is in some rather exalted territory. Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is the same Grand Cru village associated with Salon and Krug Clos du Mesnil.
One unusual Moncuit practice
Even its nominally non-vintage Champagne, like this one, has traditionally been based on a single harvest rather than being assembled from several years of reserve wines. The idea is to allow the character of that particular growing season to show through. So “NV” doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing here that it does at a large Champagne house trying to make essentially the same wine every year.
Pierre Moncuit Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
This is the domaine’s fundamental expression of Le Mesnil 100% Chardonnay. It pours a pale straw to pale gold with just a hint of orange. There is medium-coarse foam. The nose features light lemon zest and green apple. The palate is initially quite crisp and linear, with more lemon, green apple, and orange peel—followed by a more subtle creamy Chardonnay texture, supported by good acidity. Then comes the characteristic part: a dry, slightly powdery, saline/mineral sensation that makes your mouth water. The finish is dry, citrusy, and saline.
Don’t serve it too cold. I wouldn’t serve this straight out of a 35–38°F refrigerator. Start around 45–48°F, and allow it to warm in the glass toward 50°F. That should reveal considerably more Chardonnay character. And I’d use a white-wine glass or tulip Champagne glass, rather than a narrow flute. This wine deserves some room to open. The ABV is 12.0%.
This bubbly should be excellent with oysters, scallops, lobster, crab, sole meunière, roast chicken, chicken in a light cream sauce, sushi/sashimi, smoked salmon, or seared sea scallops with beurre blanc and lemon.
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