Description
The wine
Les Pinailleuses is the wine Hélène makes by selection rather than by plot. Where La Crayère comes from two specific Bisseuil parcels and La Pirouette from a single lieu-dit, Les Pinailleuses is assembled from the best Pinot Noir barrels of the vintage — whatever Hélène identifies as the finest expression of Pinot Noir across her five Premier Cru parcels during ageing. The name and the concept both reflect that process of identification and choice.
The five parcels span all three of her villages: Bisseuil with vines planted in 1960 and 1963, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ with plantings dating from 1921 through 1986, and Avenay Val d’Or with a younger 2014 planting. The oldest vines — over a century old in the 1921 Mareuil-sur-Aÿ parcel — contribute depth and concentration that the younger plantings cannot yet achieve. The average vine age of 47 years reflects this range — from the century-old Mareuil vines to the decade-old Avenay parcel, all contributing something different to what Hélène selects into the final blend.
The clay-limestone soils across the three villages give the wine its mineral structure — south, southwest, and southeast-facing aspects providing the ripeness. Indigenous yeast fermentation, 10 months ageing on lees in 228L old oak barrels, blended and bottled, 30 months on lattes before disgorgement. No fining, no filtration. Extra Brut at approximately 2g/l.
2,331 bottles produced.
Vineyard & vintage details
Producer: Champagne Hélène Charbaut
Cuvée: Les Pinailleuses Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Extra Brut
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Villages: Bisseuil · Mareuil-sur-Aÿ · Avenay Val d’Or
Parcels: Five Premier Cru parcels
Vine plantings: Bisseuil 1960 & 1963 · Mareuil-sur-Aÿ 1921, 1961, 1965, 1981, 1983, 1986 · Avenay Val d’Or 2014
Average vine age: 47 years
Soil: Clay-limestone
Aspects: South, southwest and southeast-facing
Juice: Cuvée only — first pressing
Vinification: 228L oak barrels · indigenous yeasts · 10 months on lees · 30 months on lattes
Dosage: Extra Brut · approximately 2g/l
Disgorgement: 26/11/2023
Production: 2,331 bottles
Farming: Organic · biodynamic
Format: 750ml · 12.5% vol
Hélène Charbaut
Hélène Charbaut is the fourth generation of a family farming in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ since 1937. Five cuvées — each a single grape variety, a single expression of Premier Cru terroir from a historic cave the family has worked for nearly a century.
All Hélène Charbaut wines are currently sold out. The next allocation is expected spring 2027 — join the pre-arrival list for first access when it arrives.
