A single-vineyard Blanc de Blancs from Les Nogers in Cuis Premier Cru, a terroir on the northern edge of the Côte des Blancs known for its cooler microclimate and lighter, more linear expression of Chardonnay compared to the richer, more generous villages further south such as Cramant or Avize. Les Nogers, with its chalk-rich soils and higher tension, produces a style defined by precision, bright citrus, saline freshness and a distinctly vertical, mineral-driven finish.
Style
An elegant and mineral-driven Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs, showcasing the purity, precision and freshness of Chardonnay from Cuis.
Vineyard
Les Nogers is a single-vineyard site in Cuis, on the northern edge of the Côte des Blancs. Its chalk-rich soils and cooler conditions bring tension, linearity and a distinctly mineral character to the wine.
Winery
Fermented mainly in stainless steel, with a portion aged in oak barrels to add texture and depth. Aged approximately 24–36 months on lees.
Nose / Palate
Lemon, grapefruit, green apple and white flowers, followed by subtle pastry notes. Fresh and precise, with fine mousse, pronounced chalky minerality and a long, clean, slightly creamy finish.
Cuis is a historic Premier Cru village in the Côte des Blancs, situated just south of Cramant. Although it is best known for Chardonnay, the village also has a small but distinctive tradition of growing Pinot Noir and Meunier, making it an interesting and less predictable terroir within the Côte des Blancs.
The vineyards lie on the eastern slopes of the Côte des Blancs, with chalk-rich soils mixed with clay and marl. Compared with the Grand Cru villages further north, Cuis generally produces Chardonnay with a slightly lighter and more linear profile, marked by freshness, citrus and mineral precision.
Cuis Chardonnay typically shows lemon, grapefruit, green apple, white flowers and fresh almond, with a firm chalky structure and a distinctly saline finish. The wines often have a bright, energetic acidity that makes them particularly attractive when young, while the best examples gain greater texture and complexity with bottle age.
Historically, Cuis has been valued as one of the southern gateways to the Côte des Blancs. Its position and cooler character allow Chardonnay to retain freshness even in warmer vintages, while the chalk provides the mineral backbone associated with the region.
At its best, Cuis combines the precision of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay with a more delicate and energetic personality — less broad than Cramant, less powerful than Avize, but highly expressive in its freshness, salinity and linear mineral character.
Les Nogers is a distinctive vineyard site in Cuis Premier Cru, situated in the southern part of the Côte des Blancs. Compared with other Cuis vineyards, it is generally associated with a broader, deeper and more textured style of Chardonnay, rather than the lighter, sharper and more linear profile found on cooler or more exposed sites.
This difference comes from the combination of chalk, clay and marl, which gives the wine more body and roundness while preserving the freshness and saline minerality provided by the limestone. Its favourable position and exposure also allow the grapes to reach good maturity without losing acidity.
Les Nogers typically shows lemon, mandarin, pear, white flowers and ripe orchard fruit, with smoky, mineral and savoury nuances developing through élevage and bottle age. On the palate, it is concentrated and structured, with a fuller texture and longer finish than many other Cuis expressions.
In comparison, more chalk-dominated or cooler Cuis parcels tend to produce wines that are more linear, citrus-driven and immediately tense, while Les Nogers offers greater flesh, depth and aromatic complexity.
2020 is a particularly compelling vintage for Cuis Chardonnay. The year was exceptionally warm and dry, with an early harvest, but the best vineyards retained impressive acidity and freshness. The combination produced Chardonnay with more density and ripeness than in cooler years, while preserving the linear, mineral character that is typical of Cuis.
Cuis tends to produce a more tension-driven and precise style than neighbouring Cramant: many of its vineyards have cooler exposures, and the village is known for Chardonnay with pronounced acidity, citrus character and mineral structure.
In 2020, the warmth added another layer of ripe fruit, concentration and texture. Well-made examples show citrus, crunchy apple, white flowers and fresh almond, with chalky minerality and a saline finish. The vintage gives Cuis more flesh and power, but without losing its characteristic precision. Recent 2020 examples from Cuis demonstrate exactly this combination of density and tension.
