Nineja "Coteaux Champenois" Chardonnay 2022

Coteaux Champenois is the appellation for still wines made in Champagne. Nineja is Paul's first white Coteaux — an extremely rare still Chardonnay, aged in amphora! From the Côte des Bar's most famous site for the grape, Montgueux.

Nineja is the nickname (and anagram) for Paul's grandmother, Jeanine, whose house abuts his cellar.

This wine is stealthy and spry, with lightning acidity and backbone.

Region: Champagne (Côte des Bar)
Village: Montgueux
Grapes: 100% Chardonnnay
Alc : 11.5 %

About the domaine: 

At 30, Paul Clergeot is perhaps the youngest member of a new group of rising stars in the Côte des Bar, a  region so far south that it could almost be considered part of Burgundy (Kimmeridgian limestone here,  Chablis is just an hour away!). 

Paul is on a mission to transform his family’s diverse negociant holdings into its own estate and doing so methodically, one series of parcels at a time. Starting with his home vineyards in Polisot (his Chevry parcel borders the vines of Roland Piollot, Paul’s longtime mentor), he's turning out high-tension,  ethereal blancs de noir that are precisely vinified.  The Chevry Cuvée Cuve is vinifed in stainless steel, while the Fût is aged in oak. 

As Paul moves on to produce from his other plots in  surrounding communes (including Les Riceys and Montgueux) in coming years, the size of his production will follow.