Among the elite growers' Champagne connoisseurs of the Côte des Blancs in the Champagne region, Pertois-Lebrun stands out as a benchmark for niche, high-end Champagne, thanks to its five generations of family winemaking tradition and unwavering dedication to Chardonnay grapes. The winery's flagship wine, Ambitieuse Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut NV, literally meaning "Ambition," embodies the purity of its Grand Cru terroir, extended lees aging, and extremely low residual sugar, showcasing the family's ultimate pursuit of high-quality Champagne. It is a masterpiece among Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, combining exceptional quality with the refined texture of vintage.
Founded in 1955 by the marriage and merging of vineyards between the Pertois family from Cramant and the Lebrun family from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Pertois-Lebrun is a five-generation family deeply rooted in the Champagne region. The Pertois family began their viticultural and winemaking journey in the early 20th century, accumulating a century of experience in terroir cultivation and winemaking. In 2013, the fifth generation of the family, brothers Clément and Antoine Bouret, officially took over the management of the winery. While continuing the family's traditional craftsmanship, they optimized the winemaking system with modern, meticulous management, allowing classic terroir flavors to be presented in a new light. As a pure RM grower Champagne estate, the winery achieves complete self-control over the entire process from grape planting, harvesting, winemaking to bottling, breaking free from the standardized constraints of commercial mass production and preserving the unique characteristics of every inch of the terroir to the greatest extent possible.
The winery boasts 9.7 hectares of premium vineyards, scattered across 44 small plots, all situated in the heart of the Côtes-de-Blanc appellation of the Champagne region. These include several Grand Cru vineyards and one Premier Cru plot, with key pieces including the robust, mineral-driven Cramans, the round and elegant fruit-laden Hélès-Hélès, the rich and textured Hélès-Hélès, the Korean Hélès, the musical layers of harvest, and the Hélès-Hélès-Hélès, all imbued with richness, texture, and character. The entire vineyard is situated on classic chalky soil, rich in ancient marine fossils and possessing excellent drainage. This soil encourages deep root development to absorb nutrients and imparts the grapes with characteristic sea salt and chalky mineral flavors, establishing the unique structure and character of the winery's Champagne. In its cultivation philosophy, the winery adheres to natural farming principles, rejecting chemical methods and relying on organic fertilizers, mechanical soil maintenance, and aromatherapy, supplemented by some biodynamic practices, to balance the vineyard ecosystem and allow the grapes to ripen naturally, restoring the most authentic flavor expression of the terroir.
This five-generation winemaking philosophy is the core strength of Pertois-Lebrun's position in the high-end Champagne market. The winery focuses on the pure expression of Chardonnay grapes, deeply understanding the relationship between the Côte des Blancs microclimate, soil topography, and grape flavor, rejecting excessive industrial flavor enhancement. The two brothers have a clear division of labor: Clément focuses on the daily management of the vineyards, controlling grape ripeness and fruit quality, while Antoine delves into cellar winemaking techniques, balancing the advantages of traditional methods with modern technology. The winery has its own private underground cellar with a temperature- and humidity-controlled storage environment, providing excellent conditions for long-term lees aging of Champagne, and allowing the winery's non-vintage Champagne to possess a complexity and delicacy far exceeding industry legal standards.
Winemaking
Ambitieuse, the winery's flagship non-vintage Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne, embodies the estate's finest terroir and top-tier winemaking techniques. Made entirely from 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay grapes, it boasts an alcohol content of approximately 12% and residual sugar levels below 2 grams per liter, exhibiting an exceptionally dry Extra Brut style. Compared to the legally mandated 15-month lees aging standard for non-vintage Champagnes, this wine undergoes an extended lees aging process of 5 to 6 years. Using the most recent vintage as its base, blended with aged wines from its reserve, it maintains a consistent and stable flavor profile while developing a rich complexity and mature character. It is ready to drink immediately upon release and possesses excellent aging potential of 5 to 10 years.
In its winemaking process, this Champagne adheres entirely to boutique, handcrafted standards. All grapes are hand-harvested, with strict selection of grapes exhibiting even ripeness and superior quality. They are then gently pressed using traditional vertical presses, yielding only the purest and finest first run, thus avoiding harsh tannins and off-flavors from the outset. The fermentation process balances fresh fruit aromas with a full-bodied texture. Some of the wine undergoes low-temperature fermentation in stainless steel temperature-controlled tanks to lock in the freshness and vibrancy of citrus and white flowers; the rest ferments in French oak barrels, adding a warm, toasty texture and complex layers, while simultaneously undergoing full malolactic fermentation to soften sharp acidity and create a smoother, more rounded palate. After blending, the wine undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle and long-term lees aging in underground cellars. Through precise racking and low-temperature disgorging, only a trace amount of sugar is added at the end to preserve the terroir as much as possible, resulting in an exceptionally pure and dry style.
This exquisite craftsmanship creates an elegant and outstanding tasting experience. This champagne presents a clear, pale golden color with a clean, bright sheen. Fine, dense bubbles rise continuously in the glass, creating a rich and lasting foam. The initial aroma is fresh and elegant, with vibrant citrus notes of lemon, grapefruit, and other fruits intertwined with the sweet scents of green apple and white blossoms—clean and pure. As the glass warms, layers of flavor unfold, gradually revealing the warm, ripe aromas of toasted bread, almond tart, lemon curd, and hazelnut. The underlying flavors are fresh and savory, with few distinct or well-defined mineral notes. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and balanced. Delicate bubbles gently envelop the tongue, while bright acidity is refreshing and not harsh. The fruit, toasty, and mineral notes blend perfectly, creating a clean, three-dimensional mouthfeel. The finish is long and smooth, with a lingering sweet citrus and salty mineral aftertaste. It is dry and sophisticated, without any cloying sweetness.
