Bertrand-Delespierre

Owned by the husband and wife team of Didier Bertrand and Chantal Delespierre, this 24-acre estate is situated in the Montagne de Reims, the heart of the Champagne heartland, between the cities of Reims and Épernay. The totality of Bertrand-Delespierre’s acreage is in Premier Cru vineyards, mostly in Chamery, with a few parcels in the villages of Villedommange, Ecueil and Montbré. The estate is comprised of roughly 10 acres Pinot Noir, 7.5 acres Pinot Meunier, and 7.5 acres Chardonnay. The vines average more than 25 years in age, though there are some prized parcels that are well over 50 years old.

As an independent RM (Recoltant Manipulant = Grower-Producer), Bertrand-Delespierre farms its own vines and produces wines exclusively from estate-grown fruit. It is an artisanal operation at heart and in practice, and the meticulous care taken in the vineyards and winery is evident in the exceptional quality of its Champagnes.

In the winery, grapes are delicately pressed in small lots using a traditional, wooden basket press. Didier generally eschews malolactic conversion to preserve freshness and aromatics, and barrel aging is sometimes employed for added complexity. For the production of his rosé, Didier uses the saignée method, obtaining color through a short maceration on the skins instead of through the more common practice of blending with still red wine. The Saignée method is a far more painstaking and complicated undertaking in Champagne, but it results in striking definition and complexity in the final product. Non-vintage Champagnes typically spend 24 months (minimum) on the yeast, while the vintage offerings spend the requisite 36 months “en tirage”.