Champagne Charlier et Fils is situated in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, just past the eastern edge of the Montagne de Reims. Founded by the legend himself, Armand Perrin, this estate has passed down from father to son and mother to daughter for over a century – uniting the Charlier and Perrin families forever in the process. Their underground cellar goes back a couple hundred years, and these grower-producers do it all on-site – farming, harvesting, pressing, vinification, aging, and bottling. 

Their vineyard is spread out over 41 separate plots, on five different hillsides, planted to 20% chardonnay, 11% pinot noir, and 69% of their personal favorite, pinot meunier. The plots all enjoy a warm southern exposure, ensuring ripe fruit and full flavors, but pinot meunier truly shines here as the flagship grape of the Vallée de la Marne. This cuvée is comprised of 60% pinot meunier, with 20% each pinot noir and chardonnay adding in their own unique flare and distinction. This non-vintage cuvée blends 50% of the house’s reserves into the final mix, providing a depth of flavor and richness to the power and freshness of the young wine. A solid five years on the lees allows it all to integrate seamlessly, before finishing with a Brut-level dosage of 7.8 grams. 

The final result yields a beautiful golden color, with a delicate mousse with aromatics of honeyed apricots, brûléed sugar, red delicious apples. The palate is fresh and intense – with sour cherries, green apples, umeboshi, saltwater taffy, pomelo, and toasted brioche. Rich and unctuous, but with a well-integrated acidity that uplifts and sharpens the wine’s focus. This is a complex and food-driven style of weighty, bubbly goodness, so once again, we’ll recommend you abandon your flutes for some all-purpose stems. Try this with a dry-aged, grass-fed N.Y. strip steak and be amazed!