Besserat de Bellefon
Among Champagne’s grand labels, Besserat de Bellefon in Aÿ/Epernay feels like quiet dissent: founded in 1843, shaped for gastronomy, and—since 1930—defined by Cuvée des Moines, whose mousse is deliberately lighter because less liqueur de tirage is used for the prise de mousse.
Technique becomes ethics: no malolactic fermentation to keep the base wines taut; 30% reserve wines drawn from a Solera‑style perpetual reserve to anchor continuity. In Bleu Brut, the blend is 45% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, sourced from villages such as Avize and Le Mesnil‑sur‑Oger where chalk defines the Coeur de Cuvée. Dosage sits at 8 g/L, followed by 3 years sur lies and at least six months after disgorgement.
This is not effect, but discipline—finer bubbles through lower pressure, a house that doesn’t celebrate tradition; it engineers it.Besserat de Bellefon
Among Champagne’s grand labels, Besserat de Bellefon in Aÿ/Epernay feels like quiet dissent: founded in 1843, shaped for gastronomy, and—since 1930—defined by Cuvée des Moines, whose mousse is deliberately lighter because less liqueur de tirage is used for the prise de mousse.
Technique becomes ethics: no malolactic fermentation to keep the base wines taut; 30% reserve wines drawn from a Solera‑style perpetual reserve to anchor continuity. In Bleu Brut, the blend is 45% Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, sourced from villages such as Avize and Le Mesnil‑sur‑Oger where chalk defines the Coeur de Cuvée. Dosage sits at 8 g/L, followed by 3 years sur lies and at least six months after disgorgement.
This is not effect, but discipline—finer bubbles through lower pressure, a house that doesn’t celebrate tradition; it engineers it.
