Champagne Wafflart-Antoniolli Blanc de Noir Brut Prestige Premier Cru NV

Thierry Wafflart takes a break from his day job as the President of the Champagne village cooperative to bottle his own Champagnes at his family's small domaine. Thierry runs the Wafflart-Antoniolli Champagne house in the premier cru village of Sacy, farming 2.7 hectares of Pinot Meunier, 1.4 hectares of Pinot Noir and 1.2 hectares of Chardonnay. He works with passion and pays particular attention to the vinification, which allows very balanced blends of these three main grape varietals of Champagne. 

Sacy is located mid-slope in ”La Petite Montagne de Reims”, the northwestern part of the Montagne de Reims. The village is one of a string of Champagne villages, most of which are classified premier cru. The Sacy commune covers 556 ha and has 383 inhabitants (as of 2013), referred to as Sacéens and Sacéennes. The vineyards mostly consist of east-facing slopes on the northern side of the Montagne de Reims, and are dominated by Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Haven’t heard of Wafflart-Antoniolli? Not surprising; it is one of our best kept secrets. Try to Google Wafflart-Antoniolli and you’ll be lucky to come up with anything at all. Thierry doesn’t host an elaborate website, nor does he spend much time promoting his wine through traditional marketing efforts. Primarily, he still sells the bulk of his Champagnes in small village farmers’ markets throughout France, and exports very little. His primary focus is all about making deep, rich, complex Champagnes that raises eyebrows and compels smiles. 

We are very fortunate to be among a very few in the US to have access to Thierry’s  special Champagnes. Discovered by the “Bubbly Twins” over a decade ago, and because of their insatiable taste for “more”, our small corner of the country has the privilege of imbibing in Thierry’s passion.

A “cuvée de prestige” is a proprietary blended wine that is considered to be the top of a producer's range. Wafflart-Antoniolli Premier Cru Brut Prestige is 100% Pinot Noir which extracts the very best from this single varietal. Sublime, amalgamating an exquisite golden color, a luscious perfume of fruit and flowers with a powerful palate of subtle notes of brioche, apple, red and soft fruits, rounding out with a silky texture; a beautiful discovery! Very limited.