Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee des Moines Vintage 2002

A bright deep straw appearance with golden highlights. The steady stream of fast moving bubbles form a delicate necklace. The expressive nose is structured around ripe pear and quince notes as well as fruit jellies.

With aeration, toasty notes appear on the scene before making way for menthol and spicy notes with ginger, cinnamon and anise.  The champagne is powerful and generous on the palate.

The finish, with a dominant flavour of cooked yellow fruits such as mirabelle, is fruity, generous and persistent.

Grape Variety:

54% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir and 31% Pinot Meunier

Dosage - 8g/l

Ageing:

6 years on lees

Food Pairing:

Soft cheeses, wild mushrooms, fowl, game, fish

Background Information:

Besserat de Bellefon was founded in 1843 in Ay by Edouard Besserat. A native of Hautvillers, he applied his craftsmanship and skill to creating wines which he distributed to leading hotels, restaurants and purveyors of fine wines.

Following Edouard the family continued his legacy. His grandsons Victor and Edmond inherited his passion for perfection and his sense of excellence and high standards. One was an unrivalled winemaker, the other an outstanding wine taster and they worked tirelessly and in complete harmony to increase the renown and image of their House.

1930 marked a historic turning point for Besserat de Bellefon with the creation of a lightly sparkling champagne that could be drunk throughout a meal. This was the birth of the range known today as Cuvée des Moines (Cuvee of the Monks).

Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines presents the perfect champagne for any food focused outlet. Its softer style and lower pressure produce a style that is more akin to a fine white Burgundy with bubbles than regular champagnes.

In 1930 the owner of Parisian restaurant “La Samaritaine de Luxe” challenged Victor Besserat to make a champagne that could be served with its food, right throughout a meal.

“Make me a champagne light enough to accompany any meal and i’ll be ordering 1000 bottles instead of 100 ...”

The Director of the restaurant la Samaritaine de Luxe writing to Victor Besserat in 1930

Victor created the Besserat de Bellefon Cuvees des Moines and won the business.

Made in the crémant style to a lower pressure with lower dosage to produce a wine with tiny bubbles, a very fine mousse and a creamier texture than other fizzes. Cremant Champagne creates a fresher taste and softer mouth feel with a delicate foam in the mouth which ends with a lingering aftertaste.