This Promise is a new cuvee that they’ve only made once before. Here, it is based on a blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir, with the chardonnay grown on the pure chalk soils of Avize, Oger, and Cramant (Grand Cru sites all), and the pinot noir from the clay and chalk tumbled soils of Grand Cru Verzenay. The holdings of Richard and Véronique Petit have grown marginally since their last round of release – now slightly more than 7 acres – but still making this an exceptionally small production. The base wine is aged for over two years, with malolactic fermentation allowed, before bottling for nearly two more years on the lees. Following disgorgement, an Extra Brut level dosage of 4g/liter this past May finished this new iteration of “Promise.”

If their story is a new one for you, here are the highlights: After a decade of marital bliss, Richard and Véronique Petit united his family’s holdings in Avize (prime chardonnay lots in the Cote des Bars passed down for generations) with her family holdings in Verzenay (where pinot noir reigns supreme in the Grand Cru lands of Montagne de Reims). This was in 2008, and in the short time since, their reputation has grown considerably. It was Richard’s longtime neighbor, the legendary Anselme Selosse (who has run one of Champagne's foremost luxury houses, Jacques Selosse, since 1980), who served as their mentor as they transitioned from growers to grower-producers (a récoltant-manipulant). Just as Anselme taught them, they make Champagne from fully ripe grapes and are often the last to pick (alongside Jacques Selosse) to create exceptionally layered and balanced wines (known as vin clairs in Champagne).

This wine is elegantly fresh and bright – with white cherries, Granny Smith apples, crumbled chalk, oyster shells, and struck flint taking the lead. Over time in the glass, flavors of peach skin and blanched almonds take shape, with lime zest, marzipan, and crisp lemongrass sensations leading into a lean and penetrating finish. Good to go now, but I’m even more excited to see where this stands six months from now (and for two years after that)! I’ve absolutely loved everything I’ve tasted from Petit & Bajan to this point (which is rare for even some of my favorite growers), and I think this is a striking, remarkable effort worth following. We plucked up all we could, and this happens to be the least pricey Petit & Bajan – meaning, you’d do well to secure a few bottles of this impressive and delectable cuvee!