Champagne Camille Marcel
Bragelogne, Côte des Bar, Champagne
WHERE
Adeline Bonnet
WHO
Organic farming. Adeline ferments, ages and bottles her wines in the garage below her house
Mainly Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier in supporting roles.
HOW
Cuvée Adage Brut NV
Le Brut de Noirs NV
L’Androgyne Brut NV
Le Brut Rosé NV
La Cuvée Mara Hari Demi-Sec NV
WINES
Adeline Bonnet is the fourth generation of her family to farm this property and (with the help of her father) is the first to make Champagne. Her 5.5 Hectare-property is just outside Bragelogne, the Southernmost village of the Côte des Bar and consequently, Champagne. The next village over to the South-East is Côte d'Or houses and to the South-West is Chablis Houses.
Adeline farms the vines organically and ferments, ages and bottles the wines in the garage below her house, where she houses 4 Amphora, 2 French Oak Barrels, 1 Stainless Steel Tank and 8 Demi-Johns. Her entire production has not yet exceeded 15,000 bottles a year and she makes five cuvées.
The vines were planted by Adeline's Great Grandfather Marcel Bonnet with the help of his sister Camille in 1956, giving name to the estate Camille Marcel. Although the family never sought Organic certification, the use of all chemical pesticides and herbicides were ceased in 1990 and 2000 respectively and the soils are topped with with natural vegetal waste only.
All her wines spend a minimum of 36 months on lees before disgorging and apart from one, they are all 100% Pinot Noir as is typical of the region. The Cuvée Adage is 20% Chardonnay and 40% reserve wine. The other cuvées have a very high 45% reserve wine adding to their depth of flavour.
These wines are insane value for money, boasting so much flavour, texture and freshness.