At A Glance
- Region
- Champagne, Côte des Bars
- Villages
- Channes and Buxeuil
- Main grape
- Pinot Noir
- Signature style
- Blanc de Noirs Champagne
- Defining feature
- Organic vineyard work incorporating biodynamic and homeopathic practices
The Producer
Bertrand Brigandat farms 8.22 hectares of vines, mostly in Channes and Buxeuil, and the family domain produces about 65,000 bottles each year. About 15% of the grape harvest is sold to Laurent Perrier.
Bertrand Brigandat sums up his philosophy with a plain sentence: “His Champagnes taste like wine.” He sets that preference against large production Champagne that tastes of toast and yeast, keeping the focus on the wine itself.
Place
Pinot Noir accounts for 83.90% of plantings in the Côte des Bars. The grape's lightness, shaped by climate, geology and careful vine husbandry, is sought by master blenders in Champagne.
Soil And Site
The Côte des Bars is a Kimmeridgian limestone region. Its climate and geology form part of the conditions that give local Pinot Noir a distinctive lightness, alongside the work carried out in the vineyards.
Story
Bertrand Brigandat took control of the family domain in 1993, aiming high from the moment he took over. He moved vineyard work toward organic methods while incorporating aspects of biodynamic and homeopathic practice. His cellar philosophy follows the same direct language: Bertrand describes his Champagnes as wines that taste like wine.
Vineyards And Cellar
The vineyard is farmed organically, with biodynamic and homeopathic practices also incorporated into the work. Initial fermentation mostly takes place in enamel lined steel tanks, including tanks Bertrand has painted in bright, cheerful colours.
The Champagnes age sur latte for a minimum of three years and as many as seven, depending on the cuvée and the character of the base wines. Sur latte ageing keeps bottles horizontal on their lees, allowing time for the yeast contact that can build creamier texture and more developed savoury notes.
Wines
The range includes Blanc de Noirs Brut, Brut Rosé and Brut Nature. Blanc de Noirs Brut is a full bodied white Champagne made from Pinot Noir. Brut Rosé brings the rosé style with fine, well integrated bubbles, while Brut Nature is made from 100% Pinot Noir.
In The Glass
Blanc de Noirs Brut opens with citrus, mint, cream, rocks and chalk. The palate is full bodied, clean and fresh, with a mineral impression that continues through the finish.
Brut Rosé has ethereal floral aromas, with rose, mint and citrus. The mouthfeel is silky, with freshness and aromatic presence carried by the wine's fine mousse.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Blanc de Noirs Brut. It is a white Champagne made from Pinot Noir, so the bottle places the Côte des Bars grape at the centre of the glass while staying within Bertrand's stated preference for Champagnes that taste like wine. It puts the house's regional grape and its direct style in one bottle before the range moves to rosé and Brut Nature expressions.
Anecdote
In 1981, Pierre and Elyette Brigandat released their first bottles under the family domain name. For thirteen years, they had supplied their production to large négociant houses. They held back a small part of the harvest, then released Champagne under their own name for the first time. The bottles carried the Brigandat domain name after years in the supply chain, marking the first independent release from the family.
Final Word
Pierre Brigandat & Fils is a Côte des Bars house built around Pinot Noir, organic vineyard work and Champagnes that Bertrand Brigandat describes as tasting like wine.
Sources
1. https://www.burgundywine.com/winemakers/champagne-pierre-brigandat/ 2. https://bonhomiewine.com/our-wines/france/pierre-brigandat-aube-cotes-des-bars-channes/ 3. https://maisons-champagne.com/en/appellation/geographical-area/the-cote-des-bar/ 4. https://bottleofitaly.com/en-us/products/champagne-blanc-de-noirs-brut-beltrand-brigandat 5. https://winedharma.com/en/tasting/brigandat-champagne-blanc-de-noirs-brut-review-and-tasting-notes/ 6. https://winedharma.com/en/tasting/champagne-pierre-brigandat-brut-ros-wine-review-low-price-great-quality/ 7. https://www.tannico.com/products/champagne-brut-nature-pierre-brigandat/