Pigs & Patience

The Petit Clergeot story begins in the quiet hamlet of Polisot, in the southern Aube's Côte des Bar — a region of rolling hills, chalky soils, and a slower pace of life than the famous Montagne de Reims or Côte des Blancs to the north. Here, the Clergeot family has tended vines for generations, producing Champagne in the traditional grower model: small scale, family-owned, rooted in the local terroir. In 2017, Paul-Bastien formally launched Champagne Petit Clergeot as his own project, taking over from his father and turning inherited plots into his personal winemaking canvas. His ambition was clear from the start: to transform these vineyards into an expressive, honest house of Champagne — one that spoke of place rather than prestige, of vineyard rather than brand.

From the beginning, Paul-Bastien embraced ecological practices. Organic principles were adopted immediately — not as a marketing strategy but as a logical extension of his belief that healthy soil produces healthy grapes, and that the best Champagnes come from vineyards that are alive, diverse, and respected. The estate achieved organic certification in the 2020/2021 vintage, a formal recognition of practices that had been in place since the project's inception. But Paul-Bastien's vision extends beyond organic — biodynamic preparations are integrated into the vineyard work, and the estate is evolving toward even more rigorous natural standards.

The farming is unconventional and deeply personal. Paul-Bastien uses pigs to turn his soil rather than tractors — the animals eat organic produce grown by his grandmother and surrounding farms, their natural rooting behavior aerating the soil and adding organic matter in a way that machines cannot replicate. Sheep graze certain parcels. Cover crops grow between the rows. Every decision is made based on what will benefit not just the vines but the land they are on and all the bugs, plants, and animals that come into contact with it. It is a system of interdependence — the vineyard as ecosystem, not monoculture.

The "Street Wine" story captures Paul-Bastien's spirit perfectly. On one occasion, visitors tasted with him a wine he called simply "Street Wine" — no label, no exact blend, just wine to drink in the street with his friends. It was unlike anything they had ever tasted. This spirit of experimentation, of joyful informality, of refusing to take oneself too seriously while making seriously good wine, defines everything about Petit Clergeot. The labels are bright and fun. The champagnes are lively, energetic, and delicate. You have the feeling that you have stumbled upon a secret you weren't supposed to know.

Paul-Bastien Clergeot's cellar philosophy is one of constant experimentation and radical transparency. The cuvées change year to year. The fermentation and aging happen in stainless steel, amphora, or any sized oak barrel — each plot and each year receiving its own special treatment, its own vessel, its own timeline. There is no fixed formula, no house style imposed from above. Just the material of the vintage, the character of the site, and Paul-Bastien's intuition about what each needs to express itself most fully. Currently, much vinification occurs in stainless steel, but the use of oak barrels is growing, and there is an intention to increase amphora usage in the future. The evolution is ongoing — a work in progress, like the wines themselves.

The signature commitment is Brut Nature — zero dosage, no added sugar, no sweetness, no masking. The wines are fermented to dryness with indigenous yeasts, aged on their lees, and bottled with only the naturally occurring sugar from the grapes (less than 3 grams per liter). This is not the norm in Champagne, where most houses add a liqueur de dosage (sugar solution) to balance acidity and create consistency. For Paul-Bastien, Brut Nature is not a trend but a necessity — a way of ensuring that what is in the bottle is only what the vineyard produced, nothing more, nothing less. The result is Champagnes of striking purity, vivid energy, and sometimes challenging clarity — wines that demand attention and reward patience.

"Chevry — Cuvée Cuve" — The Steel Expression: The Chevry is one of Petit Clergeot's flagship plots — a parcel in Polisot that Paul-Bastien loves for its freshness and energy, sitting near the river where cool air preserves acidity and delicacy. In the 2021 vintage, he released Chevry in two parallel expressions: Cuvée Cuve (in steel) and Cuvée Fût (in barrel), offering two perspectives on the same parcel. The Cuvée Cuve is fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel — a vessel that preserves primary fruit, freshness, and the crystalline minerality of the Kimmeridgian limestone. Hand-harvested, indigenous yeast fermentation, no dosage, extended lees ageing. In the glass, it is pale gold with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose offers green apple, citrus, white flowers, and a distinct chalky, mineral note. The palate is light to medium-bodied, with razor-sharp acidity, a clean, precise mousse, and a long, refreshing, mineral finish. It is a wine of purity and immediacy — the river's cool breath in every sip. Serve well chilled at 6–8°C. Drink within 2–4 years for maximum freshness. ~€65–€75 / ~$70–$80.

"Chevry — Cuvée Fût" — The Barrel Expression: The Chevry Cuvée Fût is the same plot, same vintage, same grapes as the Cuvée Cuve — but fermented and aged in oak barrel rather than steel. This parallel release is Paul-Bastien's way of exploring how vessel shapes expression, of offering two answers to the same question. The barrel adds texture, breadth, and a kind of savory complexity that steel cannot provide — without masking the terroir with dominant wood flavors. Hand-harvested, indigenous yeast fermentation in barrel, no dosage, extended lees ageing. In the glass, it is golden with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose offers ripe apple, hazelnut, brioche, and a subtle oak spice layered over the chalky mineral base. The palate is medium-bodied, with creamy texture, vibrant acidity, a fine mousse, and a long, savory, slightly nutty finish. It is a wine of depth and dimension — the same river, different current. Serve at 8–10°C. Ages 3–7 years. ~€70–€80 / ~$75–$85.

"Les Commes" — The Blanc de Noirs: The Les Commes is Petit Clergeot's Blanc de Noirs — a white Champagne made entirely from Pinot Noir, from a specific plot that produces grapes of extraordinary purity and finesse. Blanc de Noirs is one of Champagne's most distinctive styles: the red-skinned Pinot Noir is gently pressed to extract only the clear juice, creating a wine that is white in color but red in character — structured, mineral, with a kind of savory depth that Chardonnay cannot replicate. Hand-harvested, gentle pressing, indigenous yeast fermentation, no dosage, extended lees ageing. In the glass, it is pale gold with fine, persistent bubbles and a natural haze. The nose offers red apple, wild strawberry, crushed stone, and a profound mineral, earthy note. The palate is medium-bodied, with textured mouthfeel, vibrant acidity, a fine mousse, and a long, savory, mineral finish. It is a wine of striking purity — the red grape's soul in white wine's body. Serve at 8–10°C. Ages 3–7 years. ~€70–€80 / ~$75–$85.

"Street Wine" — The Unlabeled Secret: The Street Wine is not a commercial cuvée — it is Paul-Bastien's personal wine, made for drinking with friends in the street, without labels, without pretension, without exact recipe. It represents the purest expression of his experimental spirit: a blend that changes year to year, a wine that exists outside the commercial portfolio, a reminder that Champagne is first and foremost about joy and conviviality. Visitors who have tasted it describe it as unlike anything else — a wine that captures the wild, unfiltered energy of the Côte des Bar in its most raw and beautiful form. It is not for sale. It is not for export. It is for the street, for friends, for the moment. But its spirit — experimental, joyful, unserious yet profound — infuses every bottle that bears the Petit Clergeot label.

"Montgueux" — The Chardonnay: The Montgueux is Petit Clergeot's expression of the isolated chalk hill that produces some of the Aube's most distinctive Chardonnay — a wine of extraordinary chalky precision, citrus intensity, and ageing potential. Montgueux is an anomaly in the Aube: a single hill of pure chalk surrounded by flat agricultural land, producing grapes that rival the great Chardonnays of the Côte des Blancs for minerality and finesse. Hand-harvested, indigenous yeast fermentation (possibly in steel, barrel, or amphora depending on the vintage), no dosage, extended lees ageing. In the glass, it is pale gold with green reflections and fine, persistent bubbles. The nose offers lemon, green apple, white flowers, and a distinct chalky, mineral note. The palate is light to medium-bodied, with razor-sharp acidity, a clean, precise mousse, and a long, refreshing, mineral finish. It is a wine of crystalline clarity — the chalk hill speaking through the grape. Serve well chilled at 6–8°C. Ages 5–10 years. ~€65–€75 / ~$70–$80.

"Les Riceys" — The Pinot Noir: The Les Riceys is Petit Clergeot's expression of the historic village known for its Pinot Noir and its still red wines — a Champagne that captures the warmer microclimate, the sheltered exposures, and the red-fruit intensity that define this unique terroir. Hand-harvested, indigenous yeast fermentation, no dosage, extended lees ageing. In the glass, it is pale salmon with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose offers red cherry, raspberry, rose petal, and a subtle mineral note. The palate is light to medium-bodied, with soft tannins (from the Pinot Noir skins), lively acidity, a fine mousse, and a long, refreshing, fruit-driven finish. It is a wine of warmth and charm — the southernmost village of Champagne in every sip. Serve at 8–10°C. Drink within 2–4 years. ~€60–€70 / ~$65–$75.

Vessels & Ageing: Paul-Bastien works with a constantly evolving array of vessels — not out of restlessness, but out of curiosity. Stainless steel tanks preserve freshness and primary fruit, capturing the crystalline minerality of the Kimmeridgian limestone. Oak barrels add texture, breadth, and savory complexity, particularly for plots that benefit from additional development. Amphorae — used selectively and with increasing frequency — provide the purest, most unadorned expression of terroir, with gentle oxygenation and no flavor addition. The common thread is not the vessel but the philosophy: each plot and each year needs something different, and Paul-Bastien pays attention to that, giving each its own special treatment. Extended lees ageing is standard — the wines rest on their fermentation yeast for months or years, developing the creamy texture, bready complexity, and fine mousse that define great Champagne. No dosage. No fining. No filtration. Just the grape, the yeast, the vessel, and time.