Pertois Lebrun L'extravertie Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV《ZTF597》

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.

Region

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.

L'Extravertie is made entirely according to the traditional Champagne method, preserving the terroir with minimal intervention. During the harvest season, each bunch is hand-selected individually, extracting only the first press (Cuvée) to ensure the juice's purity and delicate texture. Fruit from different plots is vinified separately; approximately half of the wine is fermented at a low temperature of 17°C in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to lock in the vibrant citrus and white floral aromas; the other half is fermented in oak barrels, imparting a warm, rounded texture and depth.

After completing malolactic fermentation, the base wine is aged on lees for 10 months in tanks and barrels to soften the acidity and build flavor complexity. After blending, it is bottle-aged for a second fermentation and then aged on lees for a full 48 months, far exceeding the Champagne region's legal minimum of 15 months. The long contact with the lees gives the wine a smooth, silky effervescent texture, while also producing toasty aromas reminiscent of bread and brioche, which are balanced with the fruity notes.

After the disgorgement process, the winery adds only a very small amount of sugar, ultimately controlling the sugar content to 4-5g/L, defining it as an Extra Brut, almost entirely natural with no sweetness. The entire process is unfiltered and unclarified, preserving the terroir and structural tension of the wine to the greatest extent possible.