Ratafia Champenois Le Cabaniste

Name: Champagne Piollot Ratafia Champenois Le Cabaniste
Brand: Champagne Piollot
SKU: 51
Price: 54.90 EUR
Availability: InStock

54,90 €

Aged for five years in small oak barrels, this velvety, deep Ratafia Champenois combines the rich fruit of Pinot Noir, nuances of Kimmeridgian limestone and the natural sweetness that comes from fermentation halted with eau-de-vie.

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The wine's story:

Le Cabaniste is the Piollot family's truly artisanal fortified wine — Ratafia Champenois, one of Champagne's oldest traditional drinks, made in the region long before Champagne itself was born.
This cuvée is both rare and exceptionally authentic: it is made solely from Pinot Noir, whose fermentation is stopped with mutage, adding natural eau-de-vie distilled from wine in the same traditional style.

The grapes come from biodynamically farmed plots on Kimmeridgian limestone — the same geological structure that gives Chablis’ most famous wines their character.
“Le Cabaniste”, which gives the drink its name, refers to the master in the family's history who looked after the oak barrels and the cellar. It is a tribute to timeless methods that bring depth and longevity to the wines.

Winemaking:

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
Soil: Kimmeridgian limestone
Ageing: biodynamic
Style: Ratafia Champenois (arrested fermentation, natural sweetness)

Vinification:
• Mutage à la Fine – fermentation is stopped by adding eau-de-vie ✔
• Alcohol: 17.75%
• Sugar: 114 g/L
• Fermentation: arrested (mutage)
• Maturation: 228 L oak barrels
• Ageing: 5 years in oak barrels (an important mark of quality) ✔
• Racking: yes
• Fining / filtration: no
• Total SO₂: 19 mg/l (very low)

This long, five-year maturation in small barrels gives the wine an incredibly deep structure, a caramel nuance and a complexity more often found in old dessert wines or young cognacs — while retaining the freshness and fruit of Pinot Noir.

Tasting notes:

On the nose: ripe cherry, quince, dried apricot, fig, roasted nuts, honey, caramel, vanilla and delicate spice. In the background there is a hint of oak that does not dominate but lends elegant depth.

Palate: a rich, velvety texture with a harmonious balance between fruit, acidity and sweetness. The wine is opulent but not cloying — the oak balances the sweetness and a saline limestone thread keeps the whole lively.
The finish is long, warm, caramelly and spicy, with nuances of red stone fruit and toasted almond.

Food pairing:

Ratafia is one of the most versatile dessert drinks, pairing with both sweet and savoury:

Sweet:
• crème brûlée
• apple cake, pear tart, chocolate mousse
• desserts with caramel, vanilla, honey and nuts

Savoury:
• foie gras (a classic pairing)
• blue cheese (Roquefort, Gorgonzola)
• mature hard cheeses (Comté 24–36m, Gruyère)
• duck confit, richer poultry dishes
• mushroom pâtés & wild mushrooms

Also very well suited as a digestif in place of cognac or whisky.

Ageing potential:

2024–2040+
Ratafia ages superbly — over time it gains notes of caramel, nuts, dried figs, tobacco and sherry-like nuances.

Weight	1,4 kg
Dimensions	33 × 26 × 3,5 cm
Grape variety	Pinot Noir
Region	Champagne
Food pairing	Hard cheeses, Desserts and blue cheese, Duck and game birds, Mushrooms and truffle

Champagne Piollot is a five-generation family domaine in the village of Polisot in the Côte des Bar, run today by Roland Piollot and his daughter Jeanne. The Piollot family has grown grapes here for more than a hundred years, and their vineyards still hold rare old massal-selection vines. All 8.5 hectares of the domaine are certified organic and biodynamic. The vineyards are worked without chemicals, using their own compost, soil cultivation and natural plant preparations. The soil is Kimmeridgian limestone and clay, giving the wines clear minerality and fresh acidity. Piollot focuses on single-parcel wines and a zero-dosage style. Most wines express one grape and one plot. The range includes Côme des Tallants (Pinot Noir), Colas Robin (100% Pinot Blanc – one of the rarest cuvées in Champagne), Champs Rayés (Chardonnay), Mépetit (Pinot Meunier) and the rosé cuvée Les Protelles (a maceration rosé). Fermentations always use natural yeasts. The wines age for a long time on the lees, usually 4–6 years, which gives depth and fine texture. The result is dry, pure Champagne with a clear sense of terroir, marked by the ripe fruit, fresh acidity and salty minerality typical of the Côte des Bar. Piollot wines are valued for their honest style, balance and clear identity, and suit both professional wine lists and collectors' cellars.