Pierre GerbaisCelles-sur-Ource, Côte des Bar

Producer profile
PL Aurélien Gerbais is the fourth-generation of his family to make wine, working alongside his father Pascal since 2009. "The most surprising aspect of Pierre Gerbais is that pinot blanc accounts for nearly a quarter of its 18 hectares of vineyards, making the estate the most important producer of pinot blanc in Champagne." L'Originale is a pure pinot blanc champagne from vines up to eighty years old. "It's a subtle, multilayered wine, achieving a rare complexity and detail for this variety." All of Gerbais's champagnes are finely tuned, combining ripe flavors with a lively elegance. Prestige is pure chardonnay and L'Audace is a sans soufre pinot noir. Neighbors with Cedric Bouchard. TyS no mention. ToS 84. L'Originale is "round, aromatic, smoky and floral, very much a Pinot Blanc."

Tasting notes

L'Originale. 100% pinot blanc, a rarity. Disgorged in March 2018 after 3 years on the lees. Dosage 3g. Classic and unfussy label finished in autumnal copper. Placid cork of moderate expansion. Clear saturated yellow wine, nearly viscous in appearance, honeylike. The aromatics are unlike any traditional pn/ch/pm blend. Here we have a chestful of Alsace, plus heaps of lees, plus chalk. Very different and very satisfying. Good acidity and good body. Fun with food. With gougères it's pine needles. It's lilacs with walnuts. Warm chocolate cake summons pinot blanc's trademark cellophane spirit. Unique, impressive, entertaining. Purchased at Hazel's in autumn 2020 for $85.  ⭐⭐

Prestige. 100% chardonnay. 3 years on the lees, disgorged in April 2015, dosage 3g. Enticing sweetly creamy scent. Tickling acidity. Vividly yellow with a green tinge. Tastes both quite sweet and not sweet at the same time. Chalky, with some oak, salty, and savory. Charcuterie and caramel, super-likeable and inexpensive, nice bottle age, a no-brainer choice. Purchased at Gordon's in spring 2021 for $39.  ⭐