Coteaux Champenois Blanc Œil de Perdrix 2022

A still wine from Champagne that shows Pinot Meunier unadorned: restrained on the nose, taut and saline on the finish, carried by clear acidity and a noticeable tannic grip. Œil de Perdrix, the partridge's eye, describes the colour — that very pale pink produced by white-pressed Meunier.

Vincelles lies on the southern bank of the Marne, around 20 kilometres west of Épernay. The Blin family has grown vines here since 1671. Jérôme Blin took over in 2007, converted to organic farming in 2012, and has worked biodynamically ever since: the Comtois draft horses Naya and Quartz plough the six hectares, while the sheep Chouquette keeps the grass short. The plots are spread across clay, limestone, sand and flint, each vinified separately.

Single-varietal Pinot Meunier, white-pressed and fermented as a still wine. Ageing took place partly in clay vessel, partly in barrel. 12.0% vol., dry.

Ethereal, fresh and bone-dry. A noticeable tannic grip and defining acidity set the line, with citrus notes staying at the fore. These are joined by mealy apple, honey wax, salt and a touch of pepper.

Only 190 bottles of this Coteaux Champenois were made. Pinot Meunier accounts for 70 percent of the estate's vineyard area, and Jérôme Blin takes the variety seriously enough to bottle it here without bubbles and without blending.