Karine Prelat & Julien Prelat
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After marrying Julien Prélat and helping to grow his vineyard and name within Champagne, Karine inherited land from her family in Riceys, small plots from which she created three still wines that serve as a counterbalance to Julien's own label. The thought is much the same – express the Aube and its varieties – but through profound still wines instead of sparkling.
In 2019, Karine inherited 2 plots of vines from her parents, from which wine had never been produced by the family. The oldest vines dating back to 1971, the grapes had been sold to a Maison previously, but the vineyards, though small, were immediately put to work by Karine.
In the vineyard, the vines are green-harvested, limiting the number of clusters to 5-7 per plant; only in the warmest, sunniest vintages will wine be made from these vineyards, which are cool and planted to hard, Kimmeridgian soils. South-facing plots provide decent exposure and good ripeness in the warmer years.
The wines are a unique proposition for Champagne—they aren't sparkling. Karine makes sparkling wine with her husband under the Julien Prélat label, but her's is reserved for the still wines the duo make. The Rosé undergoes a light carbonic maceration with whole clusters, fully vinified in stainless for maximum freshness. The Coteaux Rouge, entirely Pinot Noir as well, is de-stemmed and pressed into neutral oak barrels for fermentation. The Coteaux Blanc, which is equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc & Petit Meslier is fermented in stone eggs, which provide a natural suspension of the lees.
