Very fine expression in the nose and in the mouth. Mineral and white flowers. Very smooth mid-palate. Blended: 95% of Chardonnay. 5% of Pinot Noir. Awards: Silver Medal at the Effervescents du Monde 2012. Champagne Michel Mailliard can be found in Vertus, the heart of the Cote des Blancs. Vertus is the first commune of Champagne in the Marne department and its terroir of 500 hectares is classified as Premier Cru. The Cote des Blancs stretches over some 20 km to the south, south-east from Epernay. The area is named after the colour of Chardonnay, the grape planted on some 95% of the area. If, according to experts, the Cote des Blancs produces some of the best champagnes, this is largely due to its soil, as it lies on a chalk outcrop, unlike other parts of the region where the chalk is more deeply buried. It is this terroir that provides the characteristic minerality of Mailliard Champagnes. Founded in 1894, it was Alexis Mailliard who took it to new heights in the last century and provided the legacy which Michel, his son continues today. Alexis played a key role in the region\'s economy through the development and promotion of the smaller wine growers in Vertus. Today, the third and fourth generations of the Mailliard family run the vineyard of 23 hectares, for the most part, planted with Chardonnay. According to Michel, Champagne is also a cultural and emotional process. It is the art of blending; of creating a wine greater than the sum of its components. However, when the balance between flavours and harmonies is perfect without any intervention, it is the art of accepting nature\'s superiority.