Pierre Baillette Le Mont Ferré 2020

Le Mont Ferré 2020 is the bottle to consider when you want to understand Pierre Baillette through Chardonnay rather than through the full variety of the estate's vineyards. This Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut belongs to a small, parcel-conscious range from the southern Montagne de Reims, and the vintage is part of its identity. It is a 2020 wine, not a standing cuvée whose year can be ignored. Pierre Baillette is based in Trois-Puits, just south of Reims, and is now run by Périne Chartogne-Baillette, the fourth generation of her family. The vineyards are concentrated around Trois-Puits and Rilly-la-Montagne, with a smaller holding in Verzenay. These are places that do not always receive the attention given to Champagne's most familiar villages, yet they provide an absorbing setting for wines made with a close interest in their origins. Périne's range is particularly rewarding because it separates grape varieties and sites rather than relying on a single broad house style. Le Village brings together the vineyards of Trois-Puits in a multi-variety expression. Le Mont Ferré takes a different route, narrowing the focus to Chardonnay. For buyers interested in how this grape performs outside the better-known heartland of the Côte des Blancs, that makes this bottle especially pertinent. The Extra-Brut designation also tells you that the wine sits towards the drier end of Champagne's dosage spectrum. It should not be taken as a complete description of the flavour, which cannot be reduced to sweetness alone. What matters is the combination of a named release, a specified harvest, one grape and the measured stylistic choice indicated on the label. A useful tasting would put Le Mont Ferré 2020 beside Le Village, showing how the producer's broader estate blend differs from a Chardonnay-focused release. Those who prefer Pinot Noir can explore the Cœur de Craie wines for a contrasting perspective. With Le Mont Ferré, however, the appeal is both simpler and more precise: an individual year and a particular strand of Périne's thoughtful, place-led approach to Champagne.