Besserat de Bellefon: The Creamy Soul of Champagne, Now at Punin Wine

A House Defined by Elegance
Besserat de Bellefon - or simply BB - is one of those Champagne houses that connoisseurs speak about in a lowered, respectful voice. It is loved for one thing above all: a uniquely creamy, silky and elegant style that sets it apart from almost everything else in the region. The brand has been a familiar name on the Cyprus market for the past decade, and we are proud to announce that Punin Wine is now its exclusive distributor on the island. For long-time admirers of the house, that means the cuvées you love are staying right where you can find them.

From a Family Estate to a Parisian Legend
The story begins in 1843, when Edmond Besserat founded a modest family winemaking business in Champagne. Everything changed in 1920, when the founder's grandson married Yvonne de Méric de Bellefon - and two family names became one. But the defining moment came in 1930. The celebrated Parisian restaurant Samaritaine de Luxe threw down a challenge to winemaker Victor Besserat: create a Champagne so tender and creamy that it could accompany an entire meal, from aperitif to dessert, and they would order it not by the hundred but by the thousand. Victor rose to the occasion and created the legendary Cuvée des Moines, a wine that turned the house into a name synonymous with fine dining. From there, BB became the darling of Parisian bohemia — poured at the Moulin Rouge and the Crazy Horse, and served aboard the supersonic Concorde.

The Secret Behind the Creamy Mousse
That signature texture is no accident. It is the result of three deliberate winemaking choices:
No malolactic fermentation. The house makes a point of skipping malolactic fermentation, preserving a naturally crisp, fresh acidity. This protects the wine's structure, gives it remarkable ageing potential and keeps it vibrant - the same principle followed by houses such as Cristal, Krug, Salon and Alfred Gratien.
Lower bottle pressure. For certain cuvées, BB adds less tirage liqueur during the second fermentation, so the pressure inside the bottle sits around 4.5 atmospheres instead of the usual 6. The result is a finer, gentler, more caressing bead of bubbles.
Extended ageing. The wines rest on their lees for a minimum of three to five years for the core range, letting the structure round out without losing freshness. The Bleu Brut even draws on a perpetual solera reserve that has been maintained and refreshed for more than twenty years.
Together, these techniques create the effect the house itself calls a creamy mousse - the very heart of the BB style.

The Star of the House: Cuvée Brigitte Bardot
If one bottle captures the spirit of the house, it is the Cuvée Brigitte Bardot. It is dedicated to France's great muse, who personally inspired the winemakers and put her signature to the release. Bardot has always stood for boldness, natural beauty and sensuality, and BB set out to pour exactly those qualities into the glass. The golden livery of the bottle and the rounded, feminine character of the wine evoke the golden age of the French Riviera and the sun-soaked spirit of Saint-Tropez, where the legend spent her finest years.
The magic here lies in the dosage. At 20 grams of sugar per litre, the wine sits in the Sec category - a deliberate choice made to achieve the gourmandise, that gourmand roundness, for which the cuvée is famous. The texture is soft, creamy, enveloping and round. And because the house skips malolactic fermentation, that touch of sweetness never turns cloying: it is held in perfect balance by a bright, juicy acidity. It is French chic, distilled into a bottle.

Discover the Collection
From the everyday elegance of the Bleu Brut to the pure Chardonnay finesse of the Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru and the sensual charm of the Cuvée Brigitte Bardot, the Besserat de Bellefon range is now available to explore and enjoy with Punin Wine. Raise a glass to a house that has spent nearly two centuries perfecting the art of the creamy mousse.