NV Leclerc Briant "Réserve" Brut, Champagne, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

24.7 acres of vineyard are spread between the Premier Cru villages of Cumières, Hautvillers, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Bisseuil in the Vallée de la Marne, Villers-Allerand and Rilly la Montagne in Montagne de Reims and in the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil Sur Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Leclerc Briant also holds long term contracts with another 19.7 acres of organically farmed vineyards.

Brut Réserve is produced from 40% Pinot Noir; 40% Pinot Meunier; 20% Chardonnay. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to happen naturally and sulfite levels are kept between 20 and 30 milligrams per liter. The wine spends 9 to 11 months in stainless steel tanks with 20% in oak barrels and more than 2 years on the lees in the bottle (sur lattes). Dosage is kept below 4 grams per liter and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The dryness and weight of Brut Réserve can accompany a sautéed filet of fish seasoned with coriander and lemon or slow cooked pork flavored with ginger and lemongrass.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Founded in the village of Cumières in 1872 by Lucien Leclerc, the business moved, in 1955, to the premises it still occupies today in Chemin de la Chaude Ruelle in Epernay. It was also at this time, thanks to the dynamism of Bertrand Leclerc, the great-grandson of the founder, and of his wife Jacqueline Briant, that the estate-based business changed its status to that of a Maison de Negoce or trading house.

The vineyard estate includes one tiny plot, called La Croisette, right in the heart of Epernay. It is tended with the care and attention usually only given to a much loved garden and today it produces one of the most outstanding champagnes in the House’s ‘Sélections Parcellaires’ (single vineyard) range.

The winery itself has been redesigned in a strikingly modern style that creates an almost monastic ambiance. None but positive vibrations are allowed within these walls where an array of containers of all shapes and materials can be found. Each imparts its own particular influence on the wines and plays a part in the search for harmony.
Deep underground, in cellars more than a kilometre in length, where the changing seasons pass by unnoticed, lies the House's precious stock of bottles. Here, 35 metres below the surface, the conditions are ideal for the champagne to age for many a long year. In aisle upon aisle the bottles are ranged in stack after stack each one bearing the name of one or the other of the cuvees.