Bichery Un Val de Clos 2019

D&M NOTES (MK, 01/2026):

OVERVIEW: This comes from the Val du Clos parcel. It is the vineyard that is pictured on the label- and is the steepest and most challenging to farm. It was planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay by Raphaël’s grandfather under their Notre Dame des Vignes, the statue on the crest of the hill above. As the Val du Clos is normally the base Bichery’s perpetual cuvee, this is a one off rarity being entirely 2019. (400 bottles were made, 12 bottles came to the US, and we got three!) It spent longer than is the norm for Bichery 4 years on the lees and was disgorged without the addition of dosage in 2024. A further note, there are a number of different labels of scenes from harvest done by artist Amedeo Macaluso.

TASTING: The nose opens with a heady and delightful mix of citrus, apricot, cream, a bakeshop character, just there spice and a touch of minerality. The palate is just shy of moderate in weight with good acidity and a hit of zippy stone fruits, citrus and just there barrel notes.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: The story of Domaine de Bichery begins with the 2015 harvest, when Raphaël Piconnet decided to vinify his own Champagne in a tiny cuvérie (cellar) in Neuville-sur-Seine, renovated a few months prior. Raphaël trained in enology in Changins in Switzerland and "la Viti" in Beaune. From a family that had farmed land for three generations, he decided that with his knowledge and the support of his wife Hannah (who he met while she was working harvest at the domaine in 2012) he would make a small amount himself. Today, Bichery is composed of six parcels in the hills above the town of Neuville, with a bit less than 7 hectare at their disposal. They obtained Ecocert certification in early 2019, and production remains positively tiny. They are members of the "Association des Champagnes Biologique", an intentional group of certified organic grower Champagne producers pushing a new level of terroir-driven quality.