There’s no question that Petit & Bajan’s deep purple label and twisted glass bottle catch the eye, but they're also a tiny, relatively undiscovered grower whose name doesn’t carry as far as the alphas of Champagne. So, we understand if that alone isn’t enough to compel you to spend $60. To make that happen, we must extract a bit more information. 

The details that push this into “incredible value” territory are all on the back label, not the front: Here, you’ll discover that it (1) is a brilliant marriage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from five distinguished Grand Crus, (2) utilizes the legendary 2012 vintage for its base cuvée, and (3), aged for a staggering seven years on lees before disgorgement. Now consider all that when revisiting the $60 price tag and I’d imagine many of you are now leaping at the opportunity to buy this. Put simply, “Ambrosie” is unique among Grand Cru wines because it ages 2-3x longer than most of its non-vintage counterparts and it’s not priced like a small-batch production! This, of course, is just the simple working philosophy of husband-wife team Richard Petit and Véronique Bajan, and we couldn’t thank them enough for it!

Richard Petit’s family roots run deep in Champagne: they’ve grown Chardonnay in the storied Grand Cru village of Avize for centuries. As for Véronique Bajan, her lineage hails from Verzenay, one of the great sources for Grand Cru Pinot Noir, so when they went down the aisle in 1997, it wasn’t just a marriage between two people but two famed terroirs as well! Unfortunately, there just isn’t much real estate between them: They farm just three hectares, of which are split amongst a number of cuvées, so every Petit & Bajan label you see is always a limited creation.

Today’s Grand Cru “Ambrosie” a direct result of their combined heirloom holdings. It is composed of 70% Chardonnay from Richard’s Côte des Blancs vines in Avize, Ogier, and Cramant, and 30% Pinot Noir from Véronique’s vines in Verzenay. As mentioned, the base wine is from 2012, a vintage that has already been mentioned in the “G.O.A.T” conversation. 
Grapes were manually harvested, vinified at the cellar in Avize, and then bottled with older reserve wines blended in. After seven years of undisturbed lees aging, the wine was disgorged in June of 2020 and given a light three-gram dosage.

 At just $60, this is a powerful, balanced wine that sets a high bar for Grand Cru Champagne. With extended lees aging and ripe fruit (Richard is generally one of the last two producers to harvest his fruit in Avize, the other being Selosse!!!), there is no shortage of rich layers on the palate. The elegant equilibrium between the fierce Chardonnay minerality and the softened depths of soulful Pinot Noir is apparent from the first smell to the last sip. The palate is mouth-filling for Champagne, and is punctuated by flavors of various citrus fruits, creamy red and yellow apple, apricot, grilled pineapple, toasted almonds, golden brioche, and crushed minerals in the form of oyster shell, chalk, and crushed rocks. Enjoy now and over the next 2-3 years in flared tulips. Cheers!