From: Chamery, Petite Montagne, Champagne, France
Blend: Chardonnay 31%, Pinot Noir 42%, Meunier 27%
Taste: A grower Champagne made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. This is a hidden gem that we are thrilled to have. Perseval-Farge is one of our favorite small producers. Aromas of quince, starfruit, galangal, gingerbread, golden delicious apple, Asian pear, and a hint of roasted chestnut meet an oceanic and markedly mineral note of sea spray. The attaque on the palate mirrors the nose in its fruit, citrus, and ginger/galangal/gingerbread profile, and this gorgeous champagne finishes with a lingering salinity that immediately conjures images of windy, sunswept white sand beaches.
Pairing: From the best foods to the most simple, like potato chips, popcorn, and fried chicken. Some of our favorite pairings for this wine, in particular, include shrimp scampi, scallops, and lobster dishes, but this will perform beautifully when paired with dishes that incorporate a citrus or herbal element- as a sauce or added as a side. On that note of versatility, we’re sharing a recipe from Nik Sharma today, for Chicken Koftas With Lime Couscous.
This wine, Terre de Sables" 1er Cru Brut NV.
The Terre de Sables is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. As referenced in its name, the cuvée is made from grapes grown on the domain’s sandiest soils and is sharply marked by it, with notes of marine minerals being supported by bright acidity. This cuvee is a blend of vintages, with 50% of reserve wine. It is held “sur lattes” for four years before disgorgement and finished with a dosage of 4g/L.
The winery. Perseval-Farge is a 4-hectare estate in the 1er Cru village of Chamery which is in the northern part of the Montagne de Reims, known as the Petite Montagne. The Perseval family traces its roots in the village back to the early 18th century and today it is Benoist and Isabelle Perseval who carry on the tradition.
Benoist farmed in a manner he called “viticulture integrée” a commitment to taking care of the land for future generations and when Benoist and Isabelle’s son, Henri, joined the family full time in 2020, they officially entered into conversion for organic certification.
The four hectares are planted with 40% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier and with 10% Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromentot (Pinot Gris) combined in a small parcel planted in 2004. The Perseval’s four hectares are divided among six parcels, all in the village of Chamery, with the greater portion being on the mid to upper slope with calcerous-clay soils and the smaller part on the lower slopes with sandy-clay soils.
Besides his commitment to sustainability in the vineyard, Benoist has worked to decrease the use of SO2 in his winemaking and at 26 to 35mg per liter, he uses one fifth of the norm. Nothing with Perseval-Farge is entirely systematic and so the notes below are general rather than detailed.
Benoist and Isabelle have a cellar (two actually) filled with vats of different sizes, made of different materials along with barrels and foudres of different ages. All are used in the patient maturing of their wines and may contain a single variety, a blend of varieties from a single parcel, a single vintage, a blend of vintages or any combination of the above. They provide a palette from which Benoist paints his Champagnes.
