Bruno Michel is an organic winemaker and, above all, a lover of soil and vines. He started a vine nursery in the 1980s and in 1985 he took up winemaking. He founded an estate with his wife Catherine in Pierry, a few kilometres south of Epernay. Their 12 hectare vineyard is composed of over 35 parcels, planted with 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier and 10% Pinot Noir. Their champagnes are made in the same village, in vaulted, limestone caves, which were excavated by Benedictine monks in the 18th Century. The caves offer a constant cool temperature and humidity, which allow the champagnes to age slowly in order to bring out their best aromas.

These are fantastically pure Champagnes which are incredibly easy to drink and carry a definite air of honesty and purity. No gimmicks whatsoever but they are still wonderfully complex and textured. The Cuvée Blanche is a blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Meunier, with 20% reserve wine making up the blend. Unusually for an organic Champagne at the `entry level`, this wine spends 60 months on the lees, where Champagne law states a minimum of 15 months. As of January 2018, the house have changed the label and name of this cuvée to Assemblée Brut, as part of a new approach to segment their cuvées into three `wine families`. Falling into the `La Lignée` range is La Demi-Lune. New to our list this year, this single plot wine is 100% Pinot Meunier from the lieu-dit La Demi-Lune parcel and represents a very special and ambitious project on the part of Bruno, who had always held the dear ambition to make a wine with no added sulphites. The result is an impressive and intriguing wine, truly unique and impressive in how crisp and pure it is - a testament to Bruno`s meticulous methods from grape to glass.