Champagne Petit & Bajan Ambrosie Brut Grand Cru NV (Magnum 1.5L) Now that summer is officially here… is there a better way to celebrate than a magnum of epic Grower Champagne? Methinks not.

After a decade of marital bliss, Richard and Véronique Petit united his family’s holdings in Avize – prime chardonnay lots in the Cote des Bars passed down for generations – with Véronique’s family holdings in Verzenay, where pinot noir reigns supreme in the Grand Cru lands of Montagne de Reims. This was in 2008, and in the short time since, their reputation has grown considerably. It was Richard’s longtime neighbor, the legendary Anselme Selosse (who has run one of Champagne's foremost luxury houses, Jacques Selosse, since 1980), who served as their mentor as they transitioned from growers to grower-producers (a récoltant-manipulant). Just as Anselme taught them, they make Champagne from fully ripe grapes, and are often the last to pick (alongside Jacques Selosse) producing full and hearty wines that excel with entrées.

This “Ambrosie” cuvée checks in at 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. The chardonnay hails from the pure chalk soils of Avize, Oger, and Cramant (Grand Cru sites all) while the pinot hails from the clay and chalk tumbled soils of Verzenay. The entire holdings of Richard and Véronique amount to less than seven acres – making this an exceptionally small production. The wine is aged for three years on the lees, before an Extra Brut level dosage of 3g/liter at disgorgement.

The wine is gorgeously suave, supple and richly abundant with aromas of alpine strawberries, red currants and cherries, with spring flowers, fresh-cut grass, and buttered toast. In the mouth, expansive, ripe citrus notes of orange cream and lemon curd seamlessly interweave with flavors of golden apples, juicy cantaloupe and Silverado strawberries. This is an ample and powerful offering that competes in weight and structure with many of the big boys of Champagne… and certainly one you’ll be thrilled to have in magnum. We snagged the entire inventory of magnums to be exported to the U.S.A. but this is a micro-producer here, so we’re talking exactly 30 bottles! Get them while they last!