Pinot Chevauchet

Moussy lies in the Coteaux Sud d'Épernay, just 4 kilometres from Épernay according to the estate itself. Here Didier Chevauchet and Brigitte Pinot run the house of Pinot-Chevauchet. The estate calls itself a grower champagne producer of five generations, although other sources speak of four. The Hachette guide describes Didier Chevauchet as a former accountant who worked the family's one-and-a-half-hectare holding on the side.

Vineyards and approach

Today the estate covers 4 hectares in 27 parcels, spread across the neighbouring villages of Moussy and Pierry (Premier Cru). The vines stand between the Côte des Blancs and the Vallée de la Marne on chalky clay soil with plenty of flint. Most of the Chardonnay grows in Pierry, while in Moussy Meunier dominates on clay and marl. Only their own grapes are pressed: every grape goes into the estate's own champagnes, with nothing bought in and nothing sold to the trade. Around 32,000 bottles are produced each year.

Since 2018 the estate has been certified under Viticulture Durable en Champagne and Haute Valeur Environnementale. Every cuvée ages for at least five years before release, and sulphur additions are kept low. Because the wines are vinified parcel by parcel, there are also single-variety cuvées and vintage wines.

The cuvées

• Joyeuse Brut: 80% Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, dosage 6.5 g/l.
• Généreuse Brut Nature: a Meunier-led cuvée with no dosage.
• Précieuse: according to Hachette, Meunier and Chardonnay in equal parts.
• Millésime 2010 Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru: pure Chardonnay from the slopes above Pierry, from vines 45 years old.
• Élégante Rosé Brut Nature: rated 91 points by Falstaff.

If you would like to taste the wines, you can reach the estate at 2 Rue Prélot in Moussy by email (pinot.chevauchet@orange.fr) or telephone (+33 3 26 51 05 76). Please ask in advance about visits and tasting times.