Why it matters
The producer
The estate is based at 20 Rue Pasteur in Avize and is represented by Olivier and Chantal Sugot. Olivier’s fifth-generation role puts a named person at the centre of a house that traces its family history back to 1901; today, its documented bottles remain focused on Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs rather than a broad collection of grape varieties.
Paul Sugot’s story is not one of changing grapes or chasing new appellations. A family estate dating to 1901 is now run by Olivier Sugot, its fifth-generation winemaker, and the current range still centres on Avize Chardonnay. That continuity arrives in concrete forms: Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, a Vieilles Vignes line, and vintage releases that remain on lees for up to twelve years before release.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Avize sits in the Côte des Blancs, and Paul Sugot’s labels make that location legible through Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. Blanc de Blancs means Champagne made from white grapes; in the wines documented here, that grape is 100% Chardonnay. The result is a range built around one grape and one regional address, with bottle age and dosage creating the main differences between cuvées.
The estate is described as approximately five hectares in Avize, while another account refers specifically to five acres of Grand Cru Chardonnay. The more immediate site signal in the wines is the Vieilles Vignes designation: vines in that line are reported to reach 112 years old. Those old vines feed bottles whose long lees ageing adds mousse and developed texture to Chardonnay fruit.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The cellar work is most clearly documented in the old-vine wines. The non-vintage Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is a multi-vintage 100% Chardonnay blend with six grams of sugar dosage and ten years on lees. Its vintage counterpart, the 2013 Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru Extra Brut, is also 100% Chardonnay but has very low dosage and twelve years on lees. Less added sweetness and more bottle ageing shift the emphasis toward dry shape, fine mousse and a longer finish rather than overt sweetness.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range begins with Paul Sugot Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, then narrows its focus through Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes Brut and vintage Vieilles Vignes Extra Brut releases. The non-vintage wine uses several harvests and ten years on lees, so Chardonnay fruit is carried by mousse, dosage and bottle-aged texture. The Vieilles Vignes Brut brings reported vine age of up to 112 years into the picture, with tasting material describing mousse, acidity, palate and finish. The vintage Extra Brut releases add a harvest year and lower dosage: the 2013 is a 100% Chardonnay wine with twelve years on lees.
For the Vieilles Vignes wines, the sourced sensory thread is floral and citrus-led Chardonnay, framed by mousse and acidity. On the palate, the long lees periods bring texture and weight beyond simple fresh fruit, while the Extra Brut 2013’s very low dosage keeps the wine dry. The finish is described as long for that 2013 release, with floral-citrus notes continuing after the mousse has settled.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Paul Sugot Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes Extra Brut 2013. It is a vintage 100% Chardonnay Champagne from the old-vine line, with very low dosage and twelve years on lees. The bottle concentrates the house’s clearest documented markers: Avize Grand Cru Chardonnay, vines reported up to 112 years old, dry structure, floral-citrus aroma, fine mousse and a long finish.