Aurélie Ponnavoy, a trained oenologist from the Aube region of France, and her sister have officially launched their own champagne brand: Mademoiselle Marg’O. Sleek, feminine and elegant, her cuvées were presented at the Côte des Bars Champagne Tasting Evening organized by LUXUS PLUS in 2023, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Hôtels & Préference Group at the Pavillon Elysée Té.
Mademoiselle Marg’O champagne can officially sparkle.
Sisters Aurélie Ponnavoy, a trained oenologist, and Sonia Poissenot, a winegrower, have officially broken away from the family domaine with the launch of their own champagne brand.
Their estate in Bergères stands out in the Côte des Bars region for its use of a grape variety that is rare in this part of Champagne: chardonnay.
A family history
With an estate located in the heart of the emblematic Côte des Bars, just a stone’s throw from Troyes, Aurélie Ponnavoy and her sister have taken it upon themselves to perpetuate the family’s winemaking expertise. Planted in the villages of Bergères and Arrentières, their vines are in contact with the mythical Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soil.
Third generation winegrowers, their grandparents had the rather avant-garde idea of planting vines in Bergères, as only seven farming families had dared to produce wine in the region.
Their parents, Edith Berthelot and Hubert Poissenot, married the vines of their respective families, increasing the number of Chardonnay vines to 40% of production. These successive expansions gave Domaine Poissenot-Berthelot a 7-hectare vineyard, which the two sisters officially took over in 2019. Producing 20,000 bottles a year, the family estate also sells some grapes.
Sonia Poissenot holds a vocational baccalaureate in horticulture and has worked as a florist for 17 years. She is in charge of maintaining the old vines that give champagnes their aromatic complexity. She also ensures that the winery maintains its HVE level 3 certification.
Aurélie Ponnavoy, on the other hand, holds a Master’s degree in oenology and champagne wines, and has worked in various vineyards in France and Luxembourg. In particular, she cut her teeth at Domaine Alexandre Bonnet. Aurélie Ponnavoy is now in charge of developing and marketing Domaine Poissenot-Berthelot wines.
A name synonymous with finesse and elegance
Mademoiselle Marg’O owes its name to Aurélie Ponnavoy’s daughter, Margaux, who will be eight years old in 2023, and who spontaneously suggested her first name to baptize this new champagne brand.
Each bottle is the expression of a unique champagne combining audacity, emotion and femininity.
The femininity of Mademoiselle Marg’O is also evident on the bottle, with its embossed label featuring a woman in a watercolour hat. The flowery hat evokes Sonia’s previous life as a florist.
Mademoiselle Marg’O now offers a range of four exceptional champagnes, each with its own identity.
The purest expression of the estate’s clay-limestone soil, Dame Noire Extra Brut (80% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay) offers a complexity of ripe red and black fruit aromas, enhanced by delicate nuances of apple, pear and citrus. The experience promises a caressing roundness, thanks to 48 months of bottle aging on laths, before riddling and disgorging.
Pure blanc de blancs “Lieu-dit La Violette” (85% chardonnay, 15% pinot noir vinified as red) reveals all the richness of chardonnay. Separate vinification of each parcel creates an elegant, finesse champagne with a unique typicity combining floral and citrus notes. On the palate, it has good length, minerality, finesse and tension.
Osmose Rosé vieille vigne (85% chardonnay 15% pinot noir vinified in red) brings together pinot noir and chardonnay to produce a refined, elegant and fruity champagne with a distinctive identity. In this champagne blend, pinot noir vinified in red brings notes of red fruit, acidity and crispness, while chardonnay distills dynamism and singularity.
Finally, nurtured by long cellar ageing, Vintage 2015 Millésime (70% chardonnay 30% pinot noir) delivers a powerful, delicate wine. On tasting, this champagne releases a spicy dimension carried by dried fruits. Notes of pastry express themselves around citrus fruits, giving it character and depth. The wine’s chiselled, full-bodied palate creates a fine balance between power and tension.
These four Mademoiselle Marg’O cuvées were first presented at the Wine Paris trade show in 2023.
Create your free account I create my account Don’t miss out on the latest luxury business news.
To continue reading this article, create a free account or log in.
Read also > [LUXUS+ MAGAZINE] THESE WINEGROWERS WHO MAKE CHAMPAGNE SPARKLE… UNTIL AUBE (PART 1/3).
Featured Photo: Aurélie Ponnavoy portrait, winemaker and oenologist © Champagne Mademoiselle Marg’O
