Charles Mignon Premium Réserve Brut Champagne NV

Charles Mignon Premium Réserve Brut Champagne NV.

Champagne has no shortage of established names, yet the house of Charles Mignon has managed to carve out a reputation that blends family tradition with modern precision. Their Premium Réserve Brut NV is the perfect ambassador for this philosophy — a cuvée that highlights Pinot Meunier’s charm while demonstrating the finesse and depth gained through careful reserve blending. In this review, we explore how Charles Mignon brings character, freshness, and authenticity into the glass.

About the Winery

Founded in 1995, the house of Charles Mignon has carved out a distinctive and respected place in Champagne. Based in Épernay — the beating heart of the region — Charles Mignon is part of the Union des Maisons de Champagne, a recognition that only a few family-run producers have attained. This distinction reflects not just technical achievement, but also the house’s consistency, reputation, and commitment to Champagne’s tradition of excellence.

At the helm is Bruno Mignon, who established the estate with the ambition of bridging heritage and modernity. His approach is both grounded and forward-looking. Over the years, he has passed on much of the operational responsibility to the next generation, including cellar master Guillaume Mignon. Together, they exemplify a style that balances aromatic expression with structure, freshness with finesse.

The Mignons are hands-on, with both vineyard work and vinification closely monitored by the core team. There’s a human-scale sensibility at play here — a focus on continuity and quality, rather than expansion or trend-chasing.

This approach is reflected in their sourcing: while they own vineyards, they also work with trusted growers in top crus such as Chouilly, Cumières, and Bouzy. These partnerships are long-term, based on shared ideals and mutual respect. In the cellar, fermentation takes place in thermo-regulated stainless steel, with full malolactic conversion to round out texture and soften acidity.

But it is the house’s solera that provides a real fingerprint. This perpetual reserve, maintained and refreshed annually, holds older base wines that contribute depth and harmony to each new blend. Started in 2016, this solera is structured as a dynamic reservoir of complexity — each new vintage draws from a consistent base of older wines, ensuring stylistic continuity while adding layered maturity. It’s a demanding method that requires discipline and restraint, but the result is a cuvée with remarkable texture, stability, and aromatic breadth. Among grower-producers and small houses, this is a rare and distinguishing practice — one that speaks to Charles Mignon’s ambition to create Champagne with both immediacy and depth.

About the Wine

Charles Mignon’s style is marked by balance, freshness, and a deliberate focus on Pinot Meunier — a grape often overlooked in the region. The Premium Reserve Brut NV is the house’s most widely distributed and recognisable cuvée — a kind of signature bottling that introduces many to this approach.

The blend — 55% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay, and 20% Pinot Noir — favors Meunier’s soft fruit character, lifted by Chardonnay’s energy and refined by Pinot Noir’s structure. Approximately 15% of the final cuvée comes from the house’s solera, contributing maturity and depth. Vinification takes place in stainless steel at low temperatures, with full malolactic conversion and 24 months ageing on the lees. Dosage is set at 6 grams per liter.

The wine shows a slightly deeper hue than one might expect — more a light salmon gold than classic pale straw, hinting at the dominance of Meunier in the blend. Bright and expressive on the nose, with notes of citrus zest, green apple, and a touch of ripe stone fruit. The mousse is soft yet persistent, bringing lift to a palate that is dry, lively, and fruit-driven. Juicy orchard and yellow fruit dominate, supported by refreshing acidity and a gentle chalky texture. There’s a rounded juiciness at the core, tapering into a crisp, lightly creamy finish.

Conclusion

With the Premium Reserve Brut NV, Charles Mignon shows how precision and reserve blending can yield a Champagne of real character. It offers substance over spectacle, and clarity over complexity. It exemplifies the house’s dedication to Pinot Meunier as a cornerstone grape and showcases the value of thoughtful reserve blending through its solera.

There’s an authenticity here — not just in the winemaking, but in the philosophy that underpins it. Charles Mignon is a house that values nuance, patience, and the cumulative wisdom of experience. For those seeking a crisp and fruit-forward style of Champagne with real drinkability, this bottle delivers. Served in a generous tulip glass, it opens further with air, revealing even more depth. This is a wine that rewards both immediate enjoyment and close attention.

We award this wine a 91/100 DWA Score — a personality-driven Champagne that delivers precisely what it promises — with clarity, charm, and craft.

This review is written by our own Onno Deumer. Champagne Charles Mignon is sold in the Netherlands by our partner Bovino.

Tasted on:                    August 2025

Website:                      Champagne Charles Mignon