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Maison Penet-Chardonnet Winery Guide
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Last updated: June 4, 2024
Winery Overview
A delightful reference for boutique, handcrafted Champagne, Penet-Chardonnet is today one of the region’s most dynamic and exciting small producers. Using only the finest Grand Cru vineyards in select sites across the Champagne region, winemaker Alexandre crafts gastronomic, complex Champagnes for real aficionados. Make no mistake; these are fine wines in their own right and not simply quaffable, celebratory standbys.
Penet-Chardonnet is the story of two families brought together by fate and marriage. Indeed, both families boast a long history of vine growing in Champagne, the Penets acquiring their vines in the town of Verzy during the French Revolution of the 19th century. The Penet family started to make their own Champagnes in 1951 when they purchased Mumm’s 19th-century cellars. Pursuing separate paths for many decades, the house of Penet-Chardonnet was created in 1967 when Christian Penet married Marie-Louise Chardonnet. A great name in Champagne was born!
Christian wasted no time modernizing the estate and built a new winery in the 1980s, still in use today. Christian retired in 2009, succeeded by his genial and competent son, Alexandre. He represents the fifth generation to run the house, and with a background in business and now a degree in enology, he is well qualified to carry on his father’s brilliant work.
Today, at the heart of Penet-Chardonnet’s approach is a dedication to terroir, above all else. Alexandre believes that a house’s job is to bring each vineyard to its fullest expression, which reaches its apogee with his range of superlative single-vineyard Champagnes. Moreover, Penet blocks the softening malolactic fermentation and insists on low dosage (sugar) levels, making his Champagnes the connoisseur’s choice for dinner. Indeed, to open these wonderful wines as an aperitif would be a crying shame; instead, they pair very well with a diverse range of dishes, including shellfish, foie gras, freshwater fish, and fowl. Then, there’s the prestige cuvée, Diane Claire, undoubtedly one of the region’s unsung gems! It’s a gorgeous, complex, and racy Champagne that would make even Dom Perignon proud.
Wines produced
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Alexandre Penet Extra Brut
30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier and 40% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 24 months before being disgorged. -
Alexandre Rose Extra Brut
35% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier and 40% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method, whereby red wine is blended into the cuvee before bottling. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 24 months before being disgorged. -
Alexandre 2006 Extra Brut
20% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier and 50% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 7-8 years before being disgorged. -
Alexandre Penet Grand Cru Brut Nature
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 4 years before being disgorged. -
Alexandre Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
100% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method. The base wine is partly fermented in oak barrels and aged on its lees for a minimum of 3 years before being disgorged. -
Penet-Chardonnet Terroir-Escence Grand Cru Extra Brut
75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 36 months before being disgorged. -
Penet-Chardonnet Les Fervins, 2009, Extra Brut
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. Produced from a single vineyard in Verzy, using the traditional method. A prestige bottling, produced in tiny quantities. -
Penet-Chardonnet Diane Claire, Brut Nature
70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. Produced from Grand Cru vineyards, using the traditional method. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 7 years before being disgorged. The prestige cuvee of the property.
Winery Contact Details
Maison Penet-Chardonnet
12 Rue Gambetta51380, Verzy
France
Email: [email protected]
Tel +33 (0) 03 51 00 28 80
Fax +33 (0) 03 26 97 97 31 Find out more
Facts & Figures
Appellation
AOC Champagne
Founded
1967
Area under Vine
6 Hectares
Age of vines
30 years+
Oak barrel origin
French
Winemaker
Alexandre Penet
Owner
Penet-Chardonnet Family
Production
4,200 cases
Grape varietals
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
Grape Varieties Used by the Winery
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Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape varietal native to the Burgundy wine region in France and one of the most popular varieties worldwide.
Find out more -
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a light-bodied red wine varietal closely related to the Vitis vinifera grape and produces the most sought-after red wines in the world.
Find out more -
Pinot Meunier
Pinot Meunier is a cold-weather-resistant grape that tends to yield lighter, fruity wine and is the lifeblood of the Champagne region.
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Winery Appellations
Author
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More information
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