On paper, Domaine Bouhélier’s “Châtillonnais” reads like elite grower Champagne, in that it is (1) meticulously crafted by a small family-run estate, (2) led by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in Kimmeridgian soils, and (3) released in micro-scale after a minimum 24 months of sur-latte aging. It also gets dangerously close to replicating it in taste, with deep, creamy orchard fruits and an incisive mineral cut that’s produced by the world’s most hallowed sparkling wine terroir.
However, thanks to France’s endlessly nuanced AOC system, it’s technically not Champagne but one of the finest Crémant de Bourgogne’s we’ve tasted. This despite the fact that it hails from the Châtillonnais, literally a short walk from Champagne’s southern border and identical in virtually every way that matters. Except for the $32 price tag. In short, Domaine Bouhélier’s crémant is priced for everyday drinking, while delivering a generous amount of sublime textures and flavors that make great Champagne so special (and often unaffordable). Go deep, because this is the limited US debut and we’re currently the only ones offering it!
The Châtillonnais is literally as close as you can be to Champagne without actually being in it. It’s based around the village of Châtillon-sur-Seine, just south of Champagne’s southernmost village, Bar-sur-Seine. Just why the Champagne appellation arbitrarily ends here is a question we’ll probably never know the answer to, but it certainly doesn’t have anything to do with the site, soil, or grape varieties. The same chalky limestone that distinguishes the southern reaches of Champagne (along with Chablis and Sancerre) continue here, and so do the key Champagne grape varieties.
Unfortunately, the Châtillonnais vineyards were largely abandoned until recently. Vines specifically destined for sparkling wine have been planted here for 200 years, but (1) devastation from phylloxera, (2) a string of poor harvests, and (3) no bankable brand name like “Champagne,” caused the region’s viticultural industry to collapse. For over a century, it was a kind of no-man’s-land, literally not included in any appellation. But in the 1980s, a movement was formed to legally incorporate the region into Burgundy. The region now makes still white and red Bourgogne bottlings, but the best producers focus their efforts on sparkling.
One of the very first families to take the leap into sparkling production when the Châtillonnais joined Burgundy were the Bouhéliers. Sylvain Bouhélier took the opportunity to purchase Champagne-worthy land at very non-Champagne prices, and has since become recognized as one of the leading sparkling producers in the region. They now farm just six hectares and every aspect of the vineyard and cellar work is done by hand. Their “Châtillonnais” bottling is comprised of sustainably farmed, chemical-free Pinot Noir (65%), Chardonnay (25%), and Pinot Blanc (10%). All of the grapes are pressed in a Coquard press (the same used by the best Champagne producers) and ferments take place in stainless steel before two years of lees aging in bottle.
Sylvain’s Crémant de Bourgogne pours a luminous pale yellow, flecks of gold intermingled with the fine, frothy mousse. Served at 45-50 degrees in an all-purpose stem—as you’d serve great Champagne—it leaps out of the glass with wonderfully classy ripe orchard fruit, lemon merengue, pear skin, toasted brioche, hazelnut, fresh-cut white flowers, and a faint undercurrent of red berry fruit. The palate is lush, broad, and undeniably classy, centered around a soft core of minerality and enlivening acidity. It’s shimmering with more sparkling magic than I’ve ever seen in a $32 bottle. I strongly recommend having a case on hand; I already do!
