Alexandre Bonnet, an ode to the territory of Les Riceys

It is not every day that one is invited to Paris for the first official screening of a docufilm: Les Riceys en Champagne – Domaine Alexandre Bonnet. One year of filming for telling about the territory of Les Riceys, in the heart of southern Champagne. “Beyond the beauty of this pristine environment, the short film explores the cultural dimension, heritage and strong identity of the Côte des Bar’s most sought-after Cru, as well as Champagne’s most historic and southernmost area, flush with Burgundy,” the invitation read.

Spoiler: this was exactly what it was about, and not about the company’s self-exaltation, as is often the case in such cases. The thing that struck me most, watching the docufilm, was how the Domaine Alexandre Bonnet, who made the project happen, wanted to involve the entire Les Riceys community by presenting not only the area, but also those who care for it. A truly new and exciting slant, much more engaging than would have been the mere presentation of the company, albeit in context.

Here is the video

But what is Les Riceys? We are in the Côte des Bars, in the Aube department. We are talking about the largest wine-growing commune in Champagne where, the only example, one meets three appellations: Champagne, Coteaux-Champenois and Rosé des Riceys. This territory for centuries was part of neighboring Burgundy, always disputed between the two regions and only saw Champagne “win” in 1927. Here the Burgundian tradition blends with the microclimate of southern Champagne and its soul sauvage, as the French put it.

A symbol of this unique terroir, in the Champagne “in the flor of Burgundy” of Les Riceys, is the Domaine Alexandre Bonnet, whose history began in 1934 and which, with its 47 hectares under vine, is the farm with the largest cultivated land in this area. Through rigorous selection, its bottles encapsulate a taste that bears the signature of teamwork and a family approach, which is also well represented in the film.

The meeting with the domaine’s president, Arnaud Fabre, took place at the Caves Pétrissans restaurant, a historic Parisian bistro since 1895 with upscale traditional cuisine and a wonderful wine cellar. Here Arnaud told us about the history of the winery, its production philosophy, its terroir, and guided us in tasting its wines.

As we said, 47 hectares planted with vines with an average age of the vines of 30 years and only 200 thousand bottles produced (they could make more than twice as much, but they prefer to bottle only the flower must and not use young vines or uninteresting plots in the year). Already this outlines an approach that takes into account the vineyards and terroir before the cellar. The soils are similar to those of Chablis, having been formed in the Upper Jurassic, specifically in the Kimmeridgian. Vineyards are parceled according to orientation, slope, exposure and vinified all separately. It is cultivated there for the 90% Pinot Noir, several Champenois and Burgundian clones but also mass selections from old vines. Then small percentages of Chardonnay and other local grape varieties, all organically farmed. Vinification is in steel, in reduction, and a very small percentage in barrique to add some complexity.

The tasting

We started with the
Blanc de Blancs,
a blend of Pinot Blanc with Chardonnay and a small, growing proportion of Arbane. A light, fine and flavorful champagne. We then moved on to what for all intents and purposes is the entry-level champagne: the Blanc de Noirs, blended from different parcels(contrées) of Pinot Noir, 36 months on the lees. Respectable, fresh and mentholated, broad and generous, precise and well delineated. The maison’s calling card, drawn in 100,000 bottles.

It was then the turn of Les Contrées 7 Cépages 2019, a brut nature that owes its name to the 7 varieties from which it is made: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier, Pinot Blanc (also called Blanc Vrai), Pinot Gris, Arbane and Petit Meslier. It comes from one of the company’s two crus, La Géande, but they cannot put the name on the label because of a registration error. This vineyard is a kind of laboratory where seven historical Champagne varieties are studied, all vinified separately.

We then moved on to the company’s first red, the Coteaux Champenois Rouge 2021, obviously from Pinot Noir, a mass selection from an old vineyard. Wine that makes it clear that the Les Riceys area is also a land of reds. Whole cluster, maceration only 6 days, stainless steel. Only 25% ages 9 months in Burgundy barriques. Very cool year, with lots of rain, and therefore important selection. Striking is the very light color (lighter than a “cerasuolo”, to be clear). Very classic in aromas of strawberry and rose, fresh and fine. A fine northern Pinot Noir produced in only 2,000 numbered bottles.

Here we then come to two of the three rosés produced, first the Champagne Rosé, a rosé d’assemblage From Pinot Noir with 7% vinified in red. Philosophy champenois at work to arrive at the balance of color, taste, elegance, with different proportions of base wines (2020) and the addition of reserve wines. 36 months on lees, dosage 4g/l, disgorgement December 2023. Raspberry jelly on the nose and great ease of drinking. From here to the Champagne Rosé Les Contrées 2019, rosé de maceration from the estate’s other cru, La Forêt, a 50-year-old vineyard near the forest. Excellent cuvée, very distinctive, moving away from the champagne identity and focusing on the terroir.

The third rosé, the wine that proudly represents the territory, whose grapes come from the same cru, closed the tasting. A tradition, this of rosés, that is very local: in fact, pink production here covers between 20 and 30 percent, compared to 10 percent in the rest of Champagne. In the glass the Rosé de Riceys La Forêt 2020, The wine that expresses the character of the maison. As Arnaud remarked, “it is a privilege to make this wine” because of its such a strongly territorial identity.

Which brings us back to the docufilm and the slant given to it, which denounces the domaine vision that we could sum up in three words: territory, territory, territory.

TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.