Description
In the southern-most part of the Champagne region, the Côte des Bar in the Aube department, there is the town of Les Riceys, where the slopes are blessed with the portlandian formation of Kimmeridgian chalk, that same great stuff that is the foundation of the finest Chablis and Sancerre. Except here the idea was to plant Pinot Noir on these chalky slopes, do a long maceration, often using whole bunches, and then age it a few years (at least three) before release — not exactly your average deck wine.
Olivier Horiot took over the estate of his father Serge in 1999; though it bears his name due to inheritance, his wife Marie is essential to day to day operations and runs the cellar. Together they work seven hectares of vines and immediately started using organic and biodynamic practices. From the beginning, the Horiot have championed highlighting specific parcels in the effort of being more terroir-focused.
Métisse is 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Blanc. The grapes come from eight different vineyards in Riceys; the Pinot Blanc gives the wine a unique creaminess. Each variety is vinified separately and go through malolactic fermentation. Aged on its lees in oak barrels. Prior to secondary fermentation, a vintage base wine (in this case, 2017) is blended with a solera of reserve wines. This bottling was released as a brut nature, with zero dosage. Unfined and unfiltered.
