The Blin family history in Champagne dates back to 1671 in Vincelles, a village in the Marne Valley. The village is known locally as “Le Petit Aÿ” a tongue in cheek reference to the vinous qualities it shares with a Grand Cru village in the Montagne de Reims. In a way, with its similar south-facing slopes, this village is to pinot meunier what Aÿ is to pinot noir – and that’s some pretty remarkable praise! It was coined years ago, by a famous chef de cave from one of Champagne’s Grande Marque houses and it just sort of stuck.

The modern-day iteration of the Blin Champagne history goes back to Jérôme’s grandfather, who created the H. Blin Cooperative in 1947 by organizing 28 other growers in the region. The family’s production on their six-hectare estate – mostly planted to meunier (75%) and then 15% each of pinot and chardonnay – was earmarked for the co-op, to be blended, fermented, and sold as part of a far larger production. These exceptional vines average about 45-year old vines of age, however, and once Jérôme took over from his father in 2010, were too precious to hand over.  

The bespectacled Jérôme Blin is a charming and thoughtful man, who revels in finding the balance of nature and farming, and notion of legacy when it is all said and done. Splashed across his webpage is the Audubon Society’s mantra – “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children” – and this idea informs his every action. His awesome glasses are neat enough on their own, but it’s his experimental winemaking techniques that really get me excited. He uses amphorae and what he calls “wine globes” to vinify his wines, in pursuit of more sustainable practices and vessels. He’s also incredibly committed to the land, farming organically and biodynamically – mostly on his own, plus a couple horses and some sheep to help him with the heavy lifting. 

The La Pouillotte Extra Brut is one of Jerome’s delicious, small-production cuvees. It is, only naturally, 80% meunier and 20% chardonnay, with a pale golden color that gives way to a bit of burnt caramel, sea salt, and melted butter. There's also a smattering of crushed seashells and iodine on both the nose and the palate, that give way to ripe peaches, tart grapefruits, and fresh, green herbs and grasses. There’s a delicate, fine-textured feel to the wine in the mouth that gives it lift and lightness – no heaviness here, despite the round and almost creamy unctuousness that elevates the level of sophistication. I can’t wait to sip this again and again – and I suppose it is only fair that you get the chance to join me. A truly unique and elegantly styled Champagne that far surpasses most other wines in its price range!