Description
Petit & Bajan, Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, “Nuit Blanche”
What happens when two families, both with centuries-long histories of farming and winemaking in Champagne’s Grand Crus, become one? Pure sparkling magic. Domaine Petit & Bajan’s Côte des Blancs treasures have made regular appearances here on SommSelect, and today we turn to what may be their masterstroke, the Blanc des Blancs Grand Cru “Nuits Blanche.” Sourced from vineyards in some of the most coveted Chardonnay terroir in the world, this is head-spinning stuff—luxuriant texture and rich fruit married to the electric acidity, the mineral rigor that marks out all the greatest Blanc des Blancs bottlings. It’s a truly timeless wine, perfectly toeing the line between so many au courant producers’ linear, almost austere stylings and the more old-school emphasis on unabashed opulence. It is, in short, a Champagne for any occasion, one you’ll be reaching for again and again during the celebratory months ahead.
Few wineries can boast the generational talent represented by Richard Petit and Véronique Bajan. Richard’s family has farmed vineyards in the Grand Cru village of Avize, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, for at least two centuries. Véronique hails from Pinot territory, with a family history working Grand Cru sites around the Montagne de Reims, primarily in Verzenay. The two married in 1997. Two years later, Richard took over his family’s estate and he and Véronique began to work side-by-side. In 2008, they folded in some of Véronique’s Verzenay holdings and rebranded the domaine Petit & Bajan. Richard farms their Grand Cru holdings, while Véronique handles winemaking duties. It’s a remarkable and rare project in Champagne: grower-producers who are equally skilled with Avize Chardonnay as they are with Verzenay Pinot Noir.
Richard and Véronique’s “Nuit Blanche” is made entirely from Chardonnay planted in the Grand Crus Avize, Oger, and Cramant. These villages are some of the most esteemed in the world when it comes to Chardonnay, with soils of almost pure chalk that imbue the resulting wines with scintillating minerality. Many producers rely on this quality alone to carry their wines, and they’re often successful, but Richard and Véronique take a different tack. Inspired by their Avize neighbor and mentor, Anselme Selosse, they pick very late. Indeed, alongside Anselme, they’re typically the last in the village to harvest. Their wines carry the region’s signature structure, but envelop it in lavish fruit and mouth-coating texture. As a result, “Nuit Blanche” is a truly singular expression of the Côte des Blancs.
Treat “Nuit Blanche” as you would any other great white wine, by opening it and letting it get some air about half an hour before you pour into all-purpose stems. Upon first pour, it opens with a riot of golden tones—red apple skin, Bartlett pear, quince paste, peach pit, roast almonds, toasted brioche, puff pastry, and fresh cream. Beneath it all, buttressing the sumptuous high notes, is the Côte des Blancs’ signature crushed chalk minerality, a rocky, almost salty throughline that keeps the nose fresh and inviting. On the palate, a similar interplay is at work, the texture lush and deeply vinous, almost nutty, before a wash of brisk acidity comes to provide an invigorating finish. This is very serious Blanc des Blancs, no mere celebratory aperitif, but a bottle to savor throughout the night as you would any great white wine. It is also quite limited, so do not miss it!
