Petit Clergeot

History of Champagne Petit Clergeot

The history of Champagne Petit Clergeot takes a decisive turn in 2017, when Paul-Bastien Clergeot takes over from his father and decides to create his own grower brand. He inherits a parcel portfolio of great richness, spread across Polisot, Balnot-sur-Laignes, Les Riceys, and the famous slope of Montgueux. Influenced by the iconic figures of the Côte des Bar, and in particular by Roland Piollot, the young winemaker chooses from the outset to break with the conventional viticulture dominant in the region.

He vinifies his first grapes in 2018 and progressively builds a range of intimate cuvées, limited to approximately 10,000 bottles per year. This deliberately reduced production reflects an exacting philosophy, in which each wine faithfully tells the story of a parcel and a vintage. The estate obtains organic certification for its vines, consecrating a committed approach that places terroir and respect for the soils at the heart of every decision.

Terroirs and Vines of Champagne Petit Clergeot

The terroir of Champagne Petit Clergeot is rooted in the Côte des Bar, the southern sector of Champagne renowned for its Kimmeridgian soils — those calcareous marls rich in small fossilised oysters that bring tension, salinity, and depth to the wines. The estate's eight hectares of vines spread across several communes, offering a mosaic of slopes, exposures, and microclimates that the winemaker exploits plot by plot.

In the vineyard, no herbicides or synthetic products are used. Paul-Bastien Clergeot works the soils, uses plant infusions and a compost he prepares himself, and treats the vines only with sulphur and copper. Certain plots, such as the Commes parcel planted in 1971 and south, south-east facing, are trained with high-trellised vines to create shade — a choice that makes tractor work impossible and requires largely manual labour, ensuring living, uncompacted soils.

Winemaking at Champagne Petit Clergeot

Winemaking at Champagne Petit Clergeot extends into the cellar the parcel-driven logic upheld in the vineyard. Each cuvée is born from a single parcel, a single grape variety, and a single vintage, with no reserve blending or pursuit of uniformity. Fermentations are carried out with indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation is only performed when it occurs spontaneously, and ageing varies according to the desired profile — in enamelled stainless steel tanks for freshness and precision, or in oak barrels for volume and complexity.

All the Champagnes of the estate are produced as brut nature, with no dosage (0 grams per litre), a signature that demands perfectly ripe grapes and great purity of juice. The wines rest on lees for an extended period (around nineteen months for certain cuvées) before a controlled disgorgement, yielding Champagnes that are straight, saline, and deeply marked by their terroir.

The cuvées of Champagne Petit Clergeot

Chevry Cuvée Cuve is a 100% pinot noir blanc de noirs from the Chevry parcel, cool thanks to its proximity to the river. Aged in enamelled stainless steel tanks and released as brut nature, this cuvée aims to be lively, energetic, and delicate, carried by fine bubbles, a taut palate, and the mineral imprint of Kimmeridge limestone. It is the purest and most direct expression of the Polisot terroir.

Chevry Cuvée Fût comes from the same Chevry parcel and the same pinot noir grape variety, but benefits from ageing in oak barrels. Still a blanc de noirs and a brut nature, it gains in roundness, volume, and aromatic complexity, while retaining the saline freshness characteristic of the lieu-dit. The two Chevry cuvées thus form an ideal diptych for comparing the influence of the vessel on the same grape.

Les Commes is the estate's emblematic cuvée, a 100% pinot noir blanc de noirs from a parcel planted in 1971, located at the top of the slope in Polisot and facing south, south-east. Harvested by hand and vinified between enamelled tanks and barrels, it stands out for its golden colour, its nose of fresh red fruits and zests, its aromatic depth, and a remarkable minerality. Richer and fruitier than the Chevry cuvées, it can be enjoyed young or kept for five to eight years.

Le Gang des Vieilles is a blended cuvée that combines pinot noir and chardonnay from old vines. Always a brut nature, it offers a broader and more indulgent profile, where the vivacity of the chardonnay complements the generosity of the pinot noir, in a spirit faithful to the freshness and purity sought by the estate.

Haut Revers du Chutat is a confidential single-plot cuvée, produced in small quantities, continuing the exploration of the estate's various lieu-dits. It illustrates the winemaker's desire to reveal the nuances of each slope of the Côte des Bar through precise and taut terroir Champagnes.

Coteaux Champenois Nineja Blanc is a still wine produced from chardonnay, under the Coteaux Champenois appellation. A rare and refined wine, it highlights the potential of Kimmeridgian soils outside of the bubble, with a vibrant, mineral expression tailored for the table.

Coteaux Champenois Nineja Rouge completes this duo of still wines with a pinot noir vinified as a red. Very confidential, it reveals a pure fruit, a delicate framework, and a freshness typical of the Polisot terroir, offering an unexpected and fascinating face of winemaking at Champagne Petit Clergeot.