terroir & sens champagne grand cru extra brut

Made from a special selection of our Grand Cru parcels of
Verzy and Verzenay and blended with oak barrel matured
reserve wines, this very fine Champagne represents the
essence of our Terroir and perfectly expresses our style:
richness, complexity and minerality
A unique style for wine connoisseurs !
The wine has a glorious golden hue hinting at maturity and
a fullness of fruit character on the palate.
The attack is round and full of ripe grapefruit and melon
which then softens on the mid palate with vanilla and a hint
of toasted nuts. Throughout, a tight vein of acidity gives the
wine great balance and drinkability followed by a gorgeous
and very long mineral finish.
TERROIR & SENS LINE
Food and wine pairing:
Foie gras with horseradish, braised and gilled celery root spiral, potato chip
bouillon An exclusive recipe of 3* Michelin Chef Guy Savoy Fine and fresh,
with a low dosage, TerroirEscence is also perfect with cold appetizers but
also poultry with a creamy sauce. Cheese suggestion : chaource a
Champagne region specialty

Geographic
Area
Verzy & Verzenay
(Montagne De
Grape
Varietals 2/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Chardonnay
Ageing
Minimum 6
years on lees
Dosage
<6 g/l
Ratings...
Jancis
Robinson, UK, 17/20 August 2019
Wine
Advocate , USA, 92 September
2018 Vinous
A Galloni , USA, 91 December 2017
Bettane
& Desseauve , France, 17/20 August 2017
Guide Hachette 2020, France, 2 stars
September 2019
Terroir & Sens Extra Brut

Penet
Chardonnet Grand Cru is our historical, family owned estate, which utilizes
the best of our 6 hectare Grand Cru vineyards of Verzy and Verzenay to produce
exclusively ultra premium, Terroir focused Champagnes.
Growing vines in the Champagne region for over 400 years has allowed the
Penet and the Chardonnet families to master the art of unique Champagne
making. The wines we produce follow an unparalleled and thorough single
vineyard approach which leaves no room for compromise and magnifies the
diversity and exceptional quality of our Terroir.
The fully
owned 6 hectare vineyards stretch along the towns of Verzy and
Verzenay , an outstanding Grand Cru area of the “Montagne de Reims” celebrated
for its top quality pinot noir grapes. Only the best vines are classified Grand Cru,
an distinction granted to less than 10% of the vineyards in the Champagne
region.

The
Chardonnet’s ancestors were already growing vines in Verzenay in the 17th Century,
and the Penet family bought their first vines in Verzy during the French Revolution. In the
early 1930’s an integrated Champagne business was set up, followed by the acquisition in
1951 of Mumm’s 19th century cellars in Verzy by Gilbert and Désiré Penet
In the 1940’s, Gilbert’s son Emile bought a magnificent 19th century mansion and winery
where he has made and sold exclusive, handcrafted Champagnes for over 50 years. As
mayor of Verzy for 18 years, Emile and his wife Marguerite also hosted many high society
events, some with Charles de Gaulle’s close collaborators as guests. Emile extended the
estate by buying more land and was also the first person in town to use a tractor in the late
1950’s.
In 1967 the marriage of Emile’s son, Christian
to Marie Louise Chardonnet brought together
the Penet and Chardonnet vines under the same house. In the 1980’s, Christian, keen to
expand the estate even more, built a state of the art winery with his own hands, enabling the
family to magnify the outstanding quality of the wines and better control the process from the
vine to the bottle, while benefiting from more modern equipment and improved working
conditions.
The new
Penet Chardonnet winery became one of the largest in town and is still the main
production site of the estate today, while the 19th century, family manor and cellars welcome
visitors from all over the world for private tours and unforgettable tasting experiences.

Today, Alexandre Penet, assisted by his wife Martine, represents the fifth generation to run the estate as a winemaker.
From a young age, Alexandre assisted first his grandfather Emile and then his father Christian in the ancient art of champagne making, developing, from childhood, a passion for the family heritage. After having worked as an executive in different industries during the early part of his professional career, he became a graduate Oenologist and is now able to bring together the efficient processes learnt in his strategic management experiences with his life-long family wine expertise, substantially enriching a business where tradition and modernity go hand in hand.

Each bottle of
Penet Chardonnet Grand Cru Champagne is made with the passion and
historical expertise of five generations.
The sustainably grown Pinot Noir (2/3) and Chardonnay (1/3) vines are cultivated without any
chemical fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides, allowing for rich biodiversity in our vineyards.
The grapes are carefully hand picked at the perfect time during the harvest and rigorously
selected at the individual parcel level, ensuring only the very best grapes are used.

The grapes are gently crushed in-house using a Coquardpress, considered the top equipment in Champagne. After carefully separating the juices, only the best ones are saved (first press or «cuvee») for future Penet-Chardonnet Grand Cru bottlings. The majority of the juices –called “must” -are then fermented in small enamel or stainless-steel vats, while some are fermented and aged in oak barrels. The ageing process –for a minimum of 8 months before bottling –preserves the wine’s potential by avoiding such physical or chemical treatments as filtering, fining, cold stabilization, etc... while keeping it in contact with the lees as much as possible –a very traditional yet uncommon approach by today’s wine making standards.
In addition, Penet-Chardonnet Grand Cru wines do not undergo malolactic fermentation, thereby preserving the original acidity of the grapes and enhancing their natural fruit. The process allows the wine’s particular fruit expression to develop more fully during bottle ageing while preserving its freshness. This, coupled with a minimum of 3 to 4 years of ageing on lees,ensures finely moussed Champagnes of depth and outstanding complexity, perfectly reflecting their ’Terroir’ specificity.7

Outstanding wines of place
« Terroir »
from a noble origin
Penet
Chardonnet Grand Cru Champagnes are world class wines made
to satisfy wine enthusiasts who value high quality craftsmanship and the
exclusivity of a unique wine with a strong personality. Moreover, our
unparalleled single vineyard approach in Grand Cru areas of the
Montagne de Reims combined with a very low dosage magnifies our
exceptional “Terroir” and has positioned Penet Chardonnet Grand Cru as
one of the few, rare specialists of “no added sugar”.
These Terroir
driven Champagnes demonstrate not only our commitment
to the unique French wine making tradition, but also to the uncommon
and yet surprising complexity of extra matured Champagne.
Their complexity and full
bodied character make Penet Chardonnet
Grand Cru Champagnes ideal for special occasions and perfect for
pairing with food.

« Terroir & Sens » line
Unique Champagnes made from a special selection of our Grand
Cru parcels of Verzy and Verzenay and blended with oak barrel
matured reserve wines (“ Perpetual Reserve
They represent the essence of our Terroir