Pehu Simonet – Les Côtes – Montaigne de Reims, Champagne

Pinot Noir

Côte de Bar is to Champagne what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy: indulgence, fruit and character.

I inherited this thought from my grandfather Antonin Pehu, from whom I also received the vineyard and whom I remember with this champagne that is an expression of his terroir in the Côte de Bar

100% 2019 Pinot Noir and fortified with 20% reserve wine, adding depth and complexity to the blend.

Dosage: Brut, 7 gs/l

Terroir – Montagne de Reims in the Grand Cru de Verzennay, a region famous for producing grapes of unparalleled quality.

Maison Pehu Simonet

David has a very clear idea about his future, which is to make champagnes from specific plots, as well as to convert all his vineyards into organic farming, he also prefers not to do malolactic fermentation in order to enhance the terroir in each of his champagnes .

A vigneron who wants to achieve the same perception that Burgundy has about the terroir. Entrepreneur and above all leader of the vignerons of Verzennay, who instills in them that it is necessary to demonstrate what the North Face of the mountain of Reims can really give us and to revalue what were once the great wines of Sillery.

Located in Verzenay (Montagne de Reims), the Pehu Simonet house cultivates 7.5 hectares of vines, for an annual production of around 40,000 bottles.

The Pehu family has been established for four generations. David Pehu has run the estate since 1995.

Little known in France, this house exports almost 90% of its champagnes. Its vintages come from grands crus (5 hectares), except for one from a prime cru (Villers-Marmery). David previously sold his main cru chardonnays to retailers, but now vinifies a cuvée: Fins Lieux No. 7 white wine.

Vinification takes place in steel barrels or tanks, depending on the wine.

The ripe fruit and a precise dosage (maximum 5 grams for the North Face and between 1.5 and 3 grams for the grands and first cru) contribute to the balance of the wines.

It will obtain organic certification from the 2022 harvest.

 

Champagne glossary.

terroir:

  • Grand Cru, of those towns that have the highest rating of 100%.
    There are only 17 villages classified as Grand Cru. They represent some 3,000 hectares (of the 34,000 total).
    The towns classified as Grand Cru are: Ambonnay, Avize, Ai, Beaumont-sud-Vesle, Bouzy, Chouilly (for Chardonnay only), Cramant, Louvois, Mailly-Champagne, The Mesnil-sud-Oger, Ozyger, Oiry, Puisieulx, Sillery, Tours-sud-Marne (for Pinzenayor only), Ver
  • Premier Cru, towns that will receive between 90 and 99% valuation.
    There are 44 villages that have the qualification of Premier Cru, which add up to about 7,500 hectares.
  • Cru, these municipalities have an assessment of 80 to 89%.
    They are the majority of the municipalities of Champagne with 255 municipalities and represent 70% of the Champagne vineyard.

    The name "Grand Cru" is very little in the labels because it can only be used if all the grapes come from municipalities with this classification something very difficult since most coupages contain grapes from various "Crues".

    The name "Premier Cru" has the same problem. The coupages are rather classified with a percentage of 80% to 100%, determined by the amount of grapes used for the composition of the mixture.

    Only the major brands of prestige produce wines that have an average of more than 90% on the Crus scale is that they are produced only with grapes of "Grands Crus" and "Premiers Crus".

    dosage:

    • BRUT NATURE: Champagne is not sweetened, with less than 3 g/l of residual sugar, without dosage or zero dosage.
    • EXTRA BRUT: It can contain up to 6 g/l of sugar.
    • BRUT: May contain up to 12 g/l of sugar.
    • EXTRA DRY: It can contain between 12 and 17 g/l of sugar.
    • SEC: May contain between 17 and 32 g/l of sugar.
    • DEMI-SEC: It can contain between 32 and 50 g/l of sugar.
    • DOUX: It can exceed 50 g/l of sugar.

      grapes:

      • BLANC: Champagne made only with Chardonnay white grapes.
      • BLANC DE NOIRS: White Champagne made with red grapes of pinot noir and/or pinot meunier.
      • ROSÉ D'ASSEMBLAGE: red wine is added to the coupage.
      • ROSÉ DE SAIGNÉE: The red grape is left to macerate with the must from 6 to 18 hours.

        vintages:

        • NON-VINTAGE: With grapes from different vintages with a minimum of 15 months of aging.
        • MILLÉSIMÉ: Champagne of vintage, it is made only when the harvest is exceptional. They can be from different vineyards and different varieties but always from the same year. The minimum aging time is 3 years.