Verzenay

Verzenay is the largest Grand Cru on the Montagne de Reims by vineyard area, with mostly north-facing slopes that are the inverse of what most growers would consider ideal for Pinot Noir at this latitude. The village makes a virtue of the cool exposure: ripening is slow, acidity stays high, and Verzenay Pinot has long been one of the most sought-after structural components in vintage and prestige cuvées. Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, chef de cave at one of the major houses, has compared Verzenay's terroir to Chambertin in Burgundy. The hill is also marked by two landmarks: a windmill on Mont Bœuf, used as a French observation post during the First World War and now a major maison's hospitality estate, and the Phare de Verzenay, a working lighthouse on Mont Rizan built in 1909 by a Champagne house as a piece of advertising and now home to a wine museum.