La Maison du Crémant Prestige Crémant de Bourgogne Brut NV

Back in the 1890s, two winemaking brothers from Pommard married two sisters whose family owned vineyard lands in Pommard, Nuits-Saints-George, and Vougeot. The wines weren’t Grand Cru or Premier Cru holdings, nor were they famous or exceptional lieu dits. The still wines were just alright – so, the brothers opted to “Champagne-ize” the wines, a popular option among Burgundy producers at that time, to be sold to the English or overseas in America, or even to the “large tables” of the Parisians that had made all things bubbly fashionable among the impoverished and the aristocracy alike. Thus, La Maison du Crémant was born in 1895, and it was only up from there.

As time passed, the Maison du Crémant became known as one of the most consistent producers of “mousseaux” (Burgundy bubbly made in the Champagne style prior to the 1975 classification that formalized “Crémant de Bourgogne”). The original Moingeon brothers eventually passed on the company to their son and son-in-law, Albert Moingeon and Pierre Barbier, in 1922. This move bore unexpected fruit, when Pierre invented the automatic post – a revolutionary piece of equipment for the sparkling wine industry, and a sort of precursor to the gyropalette used to turn bottles as they age at most sparkling productions the world over today. 

I digress… let’s return to the wine! This is a blend of fruit from holdings across Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, and Côte Chalonnaise – with the grapes split between Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Aligoté. The grapes are harvested and fermented separately, then blended and bottled to undergo secondary fermentation in glass. A liqueur de tirage of sugar and yeast is added to kickstart this process, and then aging for 9 months on the lees following. Disgorgement and a dosage of 10 g/liter follow – and a cork and cage seal the deal!

What results is traditional, delightful stuff that is sure to surprise you given the incredible price! The flavors and aromas are clean, vibrant, and remarkably integrated, with zippy and fresh sensations of lemon, chalk, almonds, toasted biscuits, white flowers, river rocks, flinty minerality, lime zest, golden apples, and Bartlett pears all flitting about the glass. The mouthfeel is round and voluptuous, with a creamy and bone-dry finish that dissipates softly. You’ll be impressed, and any guests will be sure to “revisit” the bottle time and time again! At this price, large quantities are the sure choice, trust me. One of the best Crémant de Bourgogne values we have found, and surely a new house favorite!