Who makes it
Alexandre Bonnet is a Les Riceys domaine built around Pinot Noir. Blanc de Noirs is its emblematic Pinot Noir wine. The range also includes Les Contrées Rosé de Macération, a rosé made from Pinot Noir, and Blanc de Blancs, a blend of Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. Maceration keeps grape skins in contact with the juice during fermentation, adding colour and texture to rosé wines.
Where it grows
Les Riceys lies at the far end of the Laignes valley, on the borders of the Côte des Bar between Champagne and Burgundy. The terroir formed during the Kimmeridgian period and closely resembles the Grand Cru area of Chablis in Burgundy, where Grand Cru denotes the highest vineyard category.
Kimmeridgian limestone sometimes reaches the surface. The subsoils are mainly marly limestone or argillaceous limestone. Marly and argillaceous limestone contain clay, which can retain water, while limestone provides drainage. This ground supports complex aromas and generous fruit in the wines.
What they make
The range is divided by grape and winemaking process. Blanc de Noirs has a complex aromatic profile and saline persistence. Blanc de Blancs blends Pinot Blanc with Chardonnay and has a long finish. Les Contrées Rosé de Macération comes from 50 year old vines on steep south facing slopes. It is intense and racy.