In 2012, when the Belgian-born Maxime Ullens purchased Domaine de Marzilly, in the Massif de Saint-Thierry, he immediately rolled up his sleeves – renovating the château and schooling himself to learn everything he could about producing Champagne. All of the separate plots are vinified in their unique oak barrels in their ancient stone cellar – with all the work done by hand by Maxime and his small team.

Made from 100% pinot meunier, “L.P.M.” stands for La Petite Montagne, a landmark north of the city of Reims, in the far northern extent of the Montagne de Reims. Fashioned from a single plot, this wine is vinified and aged in oak barrels for 11 months to increase complexity and texture. This is immediately followed by bottling and aging on the lees for 28 months, with all riddling laboriously done by hand. After disgorgement in December 2022, a final dosage of 2.4 g/l is added.

But the wine!!!  Am I right? Gloriously layered and full – with sensations of Granny Smith apples, brioche dough, and crunchy pluots, plus further accents of sea spray, green cardamom, Meyer lemon, ground cherries, and raspberry saltwater taffy –  all beautifully underscored with a chalky minerality. There’s a lot going on in this wine, and for such a young house, with virtually no prior experience in crafting Champagne (or even growing grapes!)...well, to say we are thrilled about this wine is an enormous understatement. Only 5 cases, so definitely one not to miss!