Champagne Coessens

Jerome Coessens handcrafts stunningly individual Pinot Noirs (Champagne, of course, but also red wines) from one single vineyard, Largillier, a 3.5-hectare plot in Ville-sur-Arce, Cote des Bar, which is located on calcareous clay, Kimmeridgian soils structured with a high content of limestone. Jerome has identified four different sections of the different textures of the soil, enabling him to create a range of diverse styles and flavors managing a single Lieu-dix Largillier.

The work in the vineyards is guided by two principles: to respect all living things and to intervene a little as possible. The wines are the fruit of a single village, Ville-sur-Arce, a single vineyard called Largillier belonging to the Coessens family, of a single varietal: Pinot Noir, of a single vintage (except for our solera wines) and of a single 'Burgundy-style' philosophy.

In 2011 the Coessens undertook a number of excavations in Largillier and discovered that the soil in this vineyard that is so dear to us, is a type called Kimmeridgian Marl No. 2. The soil, the subsoil and even the exposure, down to the very last detail, are exactly the same as in the very best areas of Chablis. The soil is made up of alternate layers of clay which gives structure and body to the attack on the palate, and layers of chalk from which the roots of the vines can draw their minerality which accounts for the long finish of the wines.

In more general terms, the soil in Largillier is a chalk and clay mix which is not very fertile and which restricts the energy and the development of the vines; as a result the roots are forced to go deep into the soil in order to acquire the necessary nutritions and the water source. This resulted the grapes that are produced attain a high level of maturity with all the potential to make a great wine.