Vignon Pere & Fils 2017 Grand Cru Reserve Des Marquises

If you love Champagne, you’ll immediately recognize the beauty of Vignon Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Reserve des Marquises, the top cuvee of a small Grower Champagne estate run by Stephane Vignon in Montagne de Reims.

I was so enthused about this wine when I discovered it, I immediately negotiated to buy every bottle I could. Still…this is an extremely limited offering, but you may learn as you get more experience in the Grower Champagne Revolution, finding these limited quantity gems is more than half the fun. I hope you’ll read the STORY below as to why these finds truly are gems. Some of these growers are David Bowie in the making (see photo below). I hope you’ll plug in and enjoy just how fabulous, entertaining and wacky it all is!

Word of advice….if you happen to hear someone say, “All the great producers have been discovered,” they’ll probably also tell you it’s overcast on a sunny day. The proof this isn’t true is in fact Vignon Pere et Fils. The fruit comes from Grand Cru vineyards in the villages of Verzenay and neighboring Verzey, with the Pinot Noir providing backbone… and the Chardonnay adding richness.

We’ve been drinking this wine regularly…haven’t been able to keep our hands off it, but if you have more discipline than we do, I recommend holding it 2-3 years in your cellar to watch it blossom.

With six hectares of vines in the Grand Cru villages of Verzenay and Verzy, sustainably farmed, planted to older Pinot Noir vines, Stephane Vignon has long been the source for many of the large houses’ fruit for their Grand Marque Champagnes.

During Covid, when these large houses assumed demand would fall off, and orders were canceled, well, Stephan, like the rest of the growers, had to get resourceful. And many like Stephen thought, hey, if I have access to world-class fruit, why not make my own wine?

Flash forward a few years, and now that’s exactly what he does. Stephan is the perfect example of what the Grower Champagne category is all about: small producers crafting singular wines. They often work in their garages navigating the gym shoes, camping equipment, and other miscellaneous “garage-items” which is part of the charm. The only difference between Stephane’s garage and yours and mine (at least mine) is that he has eight to ten barrels of world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the corner quietly doing their magical thing!

I spent nearly three hours amongst those scattered sneakers, learning about Stephane and his passion for gastronomy and wine. He’s an active member of several French and international fine food organizations and making wine that pairs with food is always top of mind.

The wine is pressed at his neighbor’s facility with only the first pressing used. Ambient yeasts are the norm and malolactic fermentation is left to happen naturally as the wine ages in one to two-year-old French oak casks for approximately 10 months. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are aged separately and blended as the wines are put in bottle for their secondary fermentation. They then mature for the next 5-years on their lees before disgorgement.

Stephane rarely fines or filters and bottles everything in Extra Brut style, allowing the wine to express its providence faithfully.