We start our journey in the Côte des Bar (also called the Aube), in the village of Ville-sur-Arce. Here we find the domain of Jérôme Coessens.

Jérôme is a rarity in Champagne because his estate is focused on just one single vineyard plot. It is known as Largillier, and he is its sole owner. In Burgundy, owning an entire named vineyard yourself is called a monopole, and it is considered a massive privilege. People don't use the term as frequently in Champagne – perhaps because it is so rare – but Coessens proudly put it on his bottles. (FYI, if you are very lucky, you have come across a bottle of Champagne also called “Largillier” from the great Guillaume Selosse; Selosse, in fact, sources the grapes from Coessens to make this wine!)

Largillier is a special place. The soil here is pure Kimmeridgian marl—a mix of limestone and sticky clay laced with fossilized oyster shells from the Kimmeridgian geologic era. It is essentially the same soil found in Chablis. Jérôme realized that this plot was too unique to blend away, so he dedicated his life to studying it. He divides the single vineyard into four distinct sections based on subtle soil variations (mineral, fruit, flower, and substance).

The 2021 vintage was challenging in Champagne for the producers, with frost and rain, but we love the fresh, classical Champagnes that were produced – especially by the good Growers. This is 100% Pinot Noir, but it really doesn’t taste like Pinot that you find from the famous Champagne villages of further north, like Bouzy or Ambonnay. It is savory, structured, and deep. Because it comes from just one plot and one year and one grape, you might think of it as an "intellectual" wine – designed not just to offer pleasure, but also to communicate a place. So it demands your attention. You’ll find notes of red currant and raspberry – fairly common in Pinot Noir-based Champagnes – but the dominant sensation is a salty, mineral grip that echoes those oyster shells in the clay.

For our second bottle, we travel north to the village of Moussy.

Moussy sits in a unique spot known as the Coteaux Sud d’Epernay (translated simply as Slopes South of Epernay). It is a transitional zone. To the east lies the chalky Côte des Blancs; to the west lies the clay-heavy Marne Valley. Moussy sits in the middle, containing elements of both.

Antonin Wirth represents the new energy of this region. The "Origines" cuvée is his way of painting a portrait of these slopes. Rather than isolating one plot, he practices the art of the blend. He utilizes mostly Pinot Meunier (about 70%), a grape that thrives in these rich soils, but he balances it with Chardonnay.

While Coessens is about the intensity of a single point, Wirth-Michel is about the harmony of the whole. The Meunier provides a fleshy, juicy mid-palate (think poached pears and apricots), while the Chardonnay adds a zip of cooling freshness. This is what blending should do: it takes different jagged edges and fits them together into a smooth, seamless sphere.

This wine is fermented and raised in large barrels and concrete, and aged for over two years on the lees. It is inviting, open, and dangerously drinkable—a perfect counterpoint to the more demanding Coessens.