PIERRE GERBAIS

Champagne Pierre Gerbais is a family grower-producer based in Celles-sur-Ource in the Côte des Bar, the southernmost major vineyard area of Champagne. Today the domaine is led by Aurélien Gerbais, continuing a family winegrowing history that stretches across eight generations. Its vineyards are located entirely within Celles-sur-Ource, making Pierre Gerbais an unusually focused expression of this distinctive corner of southern Champagne.

The estate farms approximately 18 hectares, comprising around 10 hectares of Pinot Noir, four hectares of Chardonnay and four hectares of Pinot Blanc. This unusually large proportion of Pinot Blanc is fundamental to the identity of Pierre Gerbais and distinguishes the domaine from the overwhelming majority of Champagne producers.

The vineyards of Celles-sur-Ource sit on Kimmeridgian marl and limestone, geology more immediately associated with nearby Chablis and Sancerre than with the chalk-dominated vineyards of northern Champagne. The combination of clay, limestone and the relatively southerly location of the Côte des Bar gives the Gerbais wines a distinctive combination of fruit concentration, structure, freshness and mineral tension.

The family has been particularly progressive in its approach to farming. Pierre Gerbais moved away from conventional chemical viticulture during the 1990s and has held Ampelos environmental certification since 1996, making the domaine an early adopter of environmentally conscious vineyard management in Champagne.

Aurélien represents the modern generation of the estate. Before returning to Celles-sur-Ource in 2011, he gained experience with Olivier Lamy in Saint-Aubin and at Neudorf in New Zealand. The influence of Burgundy is particularly relevant: today, individual Gerbais parcels are vinified separately, allowing Aurélien to explore the differences between sites in a manner closer to Burgundian climat-focused winemaking than traditional large-scale Champagne blending.

Perhaps the defining grape of Pierre Gerbais is Pinot Blanc, locally historically referred to as Pinot Vrai. Although Pinot Blanc is permitted in Champagne, it represents only a tiny fraction of the region's vineyards. The Gerbais family farms more than four hectares, including exceptionally old vines in the Les Proies parcel planted in 1904.

This heritage is captured most famously by L'Originale, a 100% Pinot Blanc Champagne. First produced from the 1996 vintage and released in 2000, L'Originale demonstrated the potential for old-vine Pinot Blanc to stand alone as a serious Champagne rather than merely serving as a minor component in a blend. It has become one of the signature wines of the estate and helped establish Pierre Gerbais as a pioneer of the variety in modern Champagne.

At the centre of the range is Grains de Celles, the domaine's signature multi-parcel Champagne. Traditionally composed of approximately 50% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Blanc, it draws fruit from multiple parcels around Celles-sur-Ource. Each parcel is vinified separately before blending, allowing Aurélien to balance different exposures, ripeness levels and varieties while retaining the identity of the village.

Beyond Grains de Celles, Aurélien has increasingly pushed Pierre Gerbais toward detailed single-site and single-variety expressions. The domaine established perpetual reserves beginning in 2011 for a series of parcel wines, allowing individual vineyards and grape varieties to be explored through multi-vintage blends.

Among these wines, Champ Viole is based entirely on Chardonnay, while La Loge showcases Pinot Blanc and Les Grandes Côtes is devoted to Pinot Noir. Bochot, planted to Pinot Meunier, adds the fourth dimension. Together these bottlings provide an unusually detailed exploration of both the terroirs and grape varieties of Celles-sur-Ource.

The range also includes L'Audace, a 100% Pinot Noir Champagne originating from vines planted in 1960 in the Sainte-Marie vineyard. Historically produced without dosage or added sulphur, it represents the more powerful and vinous side of the Gerbais style. The estate has additionally produced Rosé de Saignée and still Coteaux Champenois, further demonstrating its interest in Pinot Noir beyond conventional blended Champagne.

Winemaking is deliberately precise and relatively low-intervention. Individual parcels are kept separate, sulphur use is restrained and dosage levels are generally low. For wines such as Grains de Celles, stainless steel can be used to protect freshness and fruit purity before extended ageing on lees in bottle. The result is Champagne that places fruit, texture, mineral structure and vineyard identity ahead of overt winemaking effects.

Pierre Gerbais is consequently an important producer for understanding the modern transformation of the Côte des Bar. Rather than viewing southern Champagne simply as a source of Pinot Noir for larger houses, growers such as Gerbais demonstrate the region's ability to produce highly individual, terroir-focused Champagne in its own right.

For collectors, the domaine is particularly fascinating because of its combination of Kimmeridgian terroir, unusually extensive Pinot Blanc holdings, century-old vines and increasingly precise parcel-based winemaking. Its wines bridge Champagne and Burgundy conceptually: traditional-method sparkling wines made with the detailed attention to individual vineyards more commonly associated with Burgundy.

Shop Pierre Gerbais Champagne online at Wine More Cellars Australia. Discover Grains de Celles, L'Originale, Champ Viole, La Loge and other limited-production Côte des Bar Champagnes with Australia-wide shipping and free delivery on eligible orders over $199.

Short Version (Product Page)

Champagne Pierre Gerbais is an eight-generation family grower based in Celles-sur-Ource in the Côte des Bar and today led by Aurélien Gerbais. The domaine farms approximately 18 hectares entirely within the village, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and an extraordinary four hectares of rare Pinot Blanc. Its oldest Pinot Blanc vines in Les Proies were planted in 1904, forming the foundation for the celebrated 100% Pinot Blanc L'Originale. Kimmeridgian soils, environmentally conscious farming and parcel-focused vinification produce distinctive grower Champagnes combining depth, freshness and mineral precision.

Shop Pierre Gerbais Champagne online at Wine More Cellars Australia with Australia-wide shipping and free delivery on eligible orders over $199.