NV Pierre Moncuit Delos Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Champagne 750 ml

Champagne Pierre Moncuit is an energetic insider-favorite going back decades, a sure bet at blind tastings even in the most elite company. That’s one reason it’s the Champagne of choice at Le Bernardin, where it’s regularly featured by the glass and recommended by Aldo Sohm’s team as both an aperitif and three-star accompaniment.

“Very lively and delicate and extremely refreshing,” said Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. With an orchard-fruit base and a citrus lift, the current release comes from unblended 2016 Chardonnay grown exclusively on a few acres of Champagne’s greatest slope, including some vines that top 100 years of age. 

After primary fermentation, they give this wine a light dosage (3.5 g/l), softening it just a touch for an Extra Brut release. Vinous said the Moncuit’s “Extra Brut style works especially well in bringing out the crystalline purity of Mesnil Chardonnay,” especially in this bottling of 2016 fruit.  

Mysteriously, proprietor Nicole Moncuit labels this wine nonvintage, despite its esteemed provenance and single-vintage character. But we don’t question the judgment of the woman who has made grower-Champagne par excellence since 1977. 

The Moncuit team, led by Nicole’s vision and her daughter Valérie’s steady work ethic, takes a modern approach in the cellar. They use only stainless-steel tanks for fermentation and aging, coaxing the fruit gently and cleanly to its natural conclusion. Nicole believes this is the best way to showcase their greatest asset: world-renowned terroir. Simply put, Moncuit is all about the fruit, no more and no less. 

When you have one of the best plots of Chardonnay vines in the world, no one, including the pros at Le Bernardin, could ask for anything more.