Derrière Le Mont Aigu N°14 is the second plot-based cuvée in the "Les Fidèles" collection. It's a champagne that highlights the chalky, saline minerality of the Chouilly terroir. This cuvée is made only in the best years by Antoine and Clément Bouret, two brothers who have taken over the family estate.
The Chardonnays that make up this champagne come exclusively from the "Derrière le Mont Aigu" parcel, planted in 1955 by Antoine and Clément's grandfather, on the Grand Cru terroir of Chouilly.
2014 was characterized by mild temperatures and frequent rainfall. Warm weather set in at the beginning of April, bringing the vine's vegetative cycle forward by 10 days. Full flowering begins in June. Summer is dotted with dry, wet and cool spells. Chardonnays then offer notes of white flowers and citrus, with a full, acidic mouthfeel.
These Chardonnays are vinified and aged in concrete vats (67%) and oak barrels (33%), and the bottles benefit from 8 years' ageing on laths, before being disgorged and dosed Extra-Brut at 2 g/L.
Derrière Le Mont Aigu N°14 by Pertois-Lebrun has a pale gold color with silvery highlights. Its bubbles are fine and delicate.
This Blanc de Blancs champagne opens with chalky notes, then after a few moments reveals cookie, white flower and lemon notes.
The attack on the palate is frank and lively, carried by great mineral tension. In the mid-palate, pretty citrus notes emerge. The finish is long, lingering for seconds on a touch of iodine.
To bring out the best in this cuvée, pair it with an aiguillette de St Pierre and creamy Chaource with hazelnut oil; a carpaccio of scallops, fleur de sel and granny apple mousse; or a filet of sea bass and shellfish with coconut milk.
