Champagne R. Pouillon - Blanchiens Extra Brut 2016 Bouteille (75cl)
The 2016 Champagne R. Pouillon Blanchiens Extra Brut is a sparkling white champagne from Champagne, crafted by R. Pouillon and classified as a Premier Cru. This Blanchiens cuvée blends equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. James Suckling awards it 93/100. The critic describes an ample and structured champagne, driven by vibrant acidity, fine bubbles, and toasted notes. Drink now according to James Suckling.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Sparkling White
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Champagne
- Producteur / Domaine
- R. Pouillon
- Cuvée
- Blanchiens
- Millésime
- 2016
R. Pouillon
Located in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Champagne R. Pouillon & Fils is a family-run estate in the Vallée de la Marne currently led by Fabrice Pouillon. Its 7 hectares, spread across some forty parcels in several Champagne villages, produce blended and single-parcel cuvées, notably Les Valnons, Les Blanchiens, and Le Montgruguet. Vinification and aging are conducted primarily in oak barrels and demi-muids, with particular attention paid to the identity of each terroir.
- Owner
- Famille Pouillon, domaine dirigé par Fabrice Pouillon
- Maître de chais
- Fabrice Pouillon
- Surface (ha)
- 7.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 55000
Histoire du domaine
The estate was founded in 1947 by Roger Pouillon, who set out to vinify and craft his own champagne from the family vineyard. His son James joined him in 1965; together, they chose the status of récoltant-manipulant to oversee production from the vineyard to the bottle. Fabrice Pouillon, the founder's grandson and the third generation, joined his parents in 1998 and then took over the management of the estate in 1999. Under his leadership, the vineyard holdings were reorganized and precisely identified, certain vines were replanted using massal selection, and soil management evolved toward organic and regenerative agriculture. The estate currently farms 7 hectares spread across about 40 parcels located notably in Avenay, Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Épernay, Festigny, Mutigny, and Tauxières. It maintains traditional pressing and favors vinification and aging in wood, while developing its own research on native yeasts and secondary fermentation.
Blanchiens
Les Blanchiens is a vintage single-plot cuvée from a lieu-dit in Mareuil-sur-Ay classified as Premier Cru. The producer presents it as a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, vinified separately in oak barrels, and released as a Brut Nature. Located mid-slope with a southern exposure, the plot rests on clay soils over chalk.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- The cuvée is named after the Les Blanchiens plot, located in Mareuil-sur-Ay.
- Cuvée creation year
- 2007
- Style of the cuvée
- A single-plot Brut Nature Champagne, structured by the combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, oak vinification, and extended aging on the lees. Its style seeks the direct expression of the clay-limestone hillside of Mareuil-sur-Ay, combining fullness, vinosity, freshness, and mineral tension.
- Position within the range
- The estate's historical single-plot and "DNA-wine", presented as its very first single-plot cuvée.
Histoire de la cuvée
As the estate's first single-plot cuvée, Les Blanchiens comes from a plot that was a favorite of Fabrice Pouillon's father. The producer describes it as a "DNA-wine", with its spirit serving as a reference for all the estate's wines. The 2007 vintage is the earliest bottling found in the consulted sources.
