Pierre Amillet is crafting seductive, single-site expressions of Chardonnay in two of the most celebrated Grand Cru parcels in the Côte des Blancs. Taking over his family’s century-old Domaine Robert Moncuit in 2000, Pierre now tends 8ha of 50+-year-old vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger, including a portion of the prized lieux dits, ‘Les Vozémieux’ and ‘Les Chétillons’ – the latter made famous by the domaine’s neighbour Pierre Péters. Hand-harvested and vinified parcel by parcel, his wines are matured in a combination of large oak barrels and stainless steel before undergoing a long period of ageing. Although less well known in the UK, the domaine’s wines are becoming increasingly hard to come by as Champagne lovers snap up these bottles at a fraction of the price of Le Mesnil’s other top growers. Precise and finessed, they offer charming, pure fruit alongside the region’s signature chalky minerality.
