A. Lamblot - "Intuition" Champagne, France (2019)

TASTING NOTES

So much weight, density and flavour. Bone dry with nutty notes, lots of baked brioche, baked apple strudel and a thrillingly long finish. Lemon confit, chamomile, wildflowers and tangerine peel.

From 25-50 year-old densely planted vineyards in Vrigny. Aged 20 months in 228L oak barrels and sur lattes for 34 months. Zero dosage.

Alexandre Lamblot is the 13th generation in his family to produce wine. He farms vineyards in Vrigny and Gueux, both villages in the northernmost part of Montagne de Reims. The holdings in Gueux are a stone's throw from Jerome Prevost, the iconic grower who similarly is focused on meticulously farmed Pinot Meunier.

He fertilizes the soil with a mobile chicken coop and interplants various types of trees to promote diversity and provide shade for the vines. He applies essential oils to the vines to minimize the use of copper and sulfur in the vineyard. When the vines rest in the winter, he even braids their shoots to facilitate an energy exchange and protect against frost. Everything is technically organic, but his philosophy goes far beyond that into a deeply personal approach to treating the land. 

In the cellar, each plot is pressed separately and slowly in a wooden basket press. Fermentation and malo happen naturally in a mix of tank and oak barrels. There’s no fining, filtration, or chaptalisation here. Riddling and disgorgement are both done by hand. They’re phenolic and flavourful, both traits drawn from pristine fruit, not sugar or yeast.