RED WINE 
ROSÈ WINE 
WHITE WINE 
ORANGE WINE 
SWEET WINE 
SPARKLING WINE 
CHAMPAGNE 
SPARKLING 
SPARKLING 
SPARKLING 
.jpg)
LA STOPPA.jpg)
.jpg)
DOMAINE BALLORIN
Producer
Mouzon Leroux
France
Verzy, Reims, Champagne
Verzy, Reims, Champagne
60000 bottles in the cellar
Specialities: Champagne
Sébastien Mouzon leads the Mouzon Leroux estate, a "small" estate with about 7 hectares of vines, planted almost all in Verzy, divided into 50 different plots!
60% of the vineyards are planted to Pinot Noir, about 35% to Chardonnay and the remainder to Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. The farm is certified organic, and only naturally derived products are used in the field: tinctures of horsetail, dandelion, nettle, yarrow and oak in addition to biodynamic preparations. Much of the work is still done with horses such as plowing while sheep control the wild vegetation in the vineyard.
For winemaking, grapes are harvested at high physiological ripeness. Fermentation and elevage take place both in steel and in 500-liter "Jadot" barrels from Burgundy that are 4-5 years old. Malolactic fermentation is always allowed, as this allows Sébastien to use less sulfur. There is no filtration on any of the wines and no collage. Alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous, using pied de cuve and re-fermentation is with "Quartz," the selected yeast from Fleury, a biodynamic producer in the Aube. The wines are not filtered and the amount of sulfur used on the estate is very low.
The Terroir of Verzy
We are located in the Grand Cru of Verzy, one of the most interesting and diverse terroirs in the Montagne de Reims.
Many winemakers use Verzy grapes in blends with the more powerful fruit expressed in the Verzenay Grand Cru, Sèbastien, on the other hand, is among those winemakers who recognize in Verzy, a special and unique character that must be enhanced.
Unlike Ambonnay or Bouzy, the two south-facing Grand Cru of the Montagne that express great power, Verzy faces northeast, producing wines with more finesse, tension and generally a higher register. Mouzon's wines are mineral and "quieter" than their more powerful counterparts from Verzenay. Sébastian describes the differences between Verzenay and Verzy this way, "In Verzenay, the mineral is within the fruit. In Verzy, the fruit is within the minerality."
Sébastien's interpretation of Verzy is refined but also unadorned and unpretentious. These are delicious, thoughtful, restrained, mineral and incisive wines; if you're looking for creaminess, you won't find it here.
