Bisseuil

Bisseuil sits on gentle south-facing slopes between the Marne river and its canal, sandwiched between Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Tours-sur-Marne. The village is unusual for the Grande Vallée: the majority of plantings are Chardonnay, the only village in this corridor where Chardonnay outweighs Pinot Noir. The reason is unclear, with the slope angle, soil mix, and local tradition all probably playing some part. A handful of small estates are based in the village, and Bollinger sources fruit here. Bisseuil sits on the same chalk substrate as the Pinot Noir villages it nestles between, but the wines from its vineyards have a brighter, more linear profile that points back to the Côte des Blancs rather than to the heavier Pinot tradition of Aÿ.