Jean Baillette Prudhomme

Trois-Puits lies a few kilometres south of Reims and is classified as Premier Cru. This is home to the champagne house of Jean Baillette-Prudhomme, a family estate on the Montagne de Reims. The vineyards cover 5 hectares, and the wines carry the Vigneron indépendant label.

Family and history

Jean Baillette-Prudhomme, a récoltant-manipulant and independent grower, came from the fourth generation of a winegrowing family. The son and grandson of vignerons, he set up on his own as a récoltant-manipulant in the early 1980s. He worked exclusively with his own grapes. He relied on parcel-by-parcel fermentation to bring out the character of each site.

After his death in 2005, his wife Marie-France and their daughters Laureen and Justine carried on the estate. The text on the website describes Jean as a guardian watching from a heavenly balcony. In fact, the house today is run by women. According to the Guide Hachette, Laureen now looks after the vineyard, vinification and sales on her own. She presses the grapes in a traditional press lacquered in fuchsia and riddles every bottle by hand.

“The son and grandson of vignerons, he set up on his own as a récoltant-manipulant in the early 1980s.

Wines and style

All three champagne grape varieties are grown. According to the producer's profile, the focus is on the fruitiness of Pinot Meunier, the finesse of Chardonnay and the power of Pinot Noir. Reserve wines play a large part in the house style.

• Brut Réserve 1er Cru: Merchants probably call it Laureen Baillette's most popular cuvée. It contains 50% reserve wines and spends more than three years on the lees. The grape proportions are given differently depending on the source: equal parts, or 40% Pinot Noir and 30% each of Meunier and Chardonnay.
• Réserve Extra Brut: The dosage is 4 g/l, half the standard dosage. The Chardonnay ages in used oak barrels.
• Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature: 100% Pinot Noir, with no dosage, from a perpetual reserve spanning 22 vintages. It is pressed with a hand-operated Coquard press.

The estate has won several medals at the Vignerons Indépendants competitions. These include silver for the Cuvée Héritage 1er Cru and for the Rosé de Saignée, and gold for a Brut.

Visiting

The house is at 4 Rue de la Gare in Trois-Puits. Cellar visits are by appointment only, in French and English. You can get in touch by email at champagnejbp@gmail.com.