Champagne Allouchery-Perseval

Allouchery-Perseval

A grower's Champagne house in the Montagne de Reims, working entirely from Premier Cru vineyards. Everything carries the 1er Cru classification on the label — there is no regional-level bottling underneath.

The cuvées

La Réserve Brut is the house wine and the usual entry point. Le Tradition 1er Cru Blanc de Noirs is the Pinot-based bottling, available by the bottle and by the six. Above them, the Millésime Extra Brut is vintage-dated and low in dosage — currently 2015 and 2016. Rosé, magnum and jeroboam formats come through in smaller quantities.

Mixed six-packs

Several of the six-bottle cases here pair three bottles of La Réserve with three of a grande marque — Louis Roederer Collection 245, Piper-Heidsieck, Billecart-Salmon, Charles Le Bel — and include a two-glass flute set. That is the cheapest way to find out whether you can tell the difference at the table.

What to expect

Grower Champagne is made by the family that farms the vines, in volumes a large house would consider a rounding error. The trade-off is plain: no advertising, no name recognition at the table, and vintages appear and disappear. In return you pay Premier Cru prices for Premier Cru fruit instead of paying for a marketing budget.

Serving

Serve at 8–10°C. Extra Brut has little or no dosage, so it reads drier and leaner than a standard Brut — give it a few minutes in the glass rather than pouring straight from the fridge.