Champagne Jean Josselin Contexture Extra Brut NV

Champagne Jean Josselin Contexture Extra Brut NV Family-grown in the Côte des Bar — Pinot country, where Champagne gets more generous fruit and spice than the chalk-and-citrus stereotype. Grape Varietals & Region: A three-grape blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier (the recent R.22 is reported at roughly 50% Chardonnay, 30% Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir, though the split shifts between releases). It's grown in Gyé-sur-Seine, in the southern Côte des Bar, across about 14 parcels on Kimmeridgian clay-limestone and marl — an ancient seabed that gives the wines power and ripeness. The estate is over 80% Pinot Noir, with vines averaging 30+ years old and some Pinot over 50. Taste Profile: Pale yellow with fine, creamy bubbles. Mineral and spice lead, with white flower and red-fruit notes behind. It enters almost soft, then builds into a long, structured finish. Pair with monkfish in a peppercorn cream sauce, or anything gingerbread-spiced. Winemaking Process: Full malolactic fermentation, no filtration and no cold stabilisation, so the wine keeps its texture. Finished Extra Brut — 2.5 g/L in the recent R.22 release — and made by the traditional method with second fermentation in bottle. The estate holds Terra Vitis certification for responsible viticulture. Winemaker: The Josselin family bought its first plot in Gyé-sur-Seine in 1854, and Jean Josselin left the local co-op to bottle his own Champagne under the family name in 1957. His son Jean-Pierre took over in 1980, and in 2023 the estate passed to Jean-Pierre's children Lucile and Jean-Félix, an oenologist who joined in 2010. They farm roughly 12 hectares with a focus on biodiversity and soil health.