Lahaye - Brut Nature, Grand Cru, Champagne, France (NV)
Lahaye - Brut Nature, Grand Cru, Champagne, France (NV)
TASTING NOTES
Harmonious balance and a ripe, vibrant depth of fruit, toasted nuts and dried white flowers. Full-bodied while still racy and precise, a delicate mousse and a chalky, sapid finish.
REGION | France > Champagne > Côte Sézanne |
GRAPE(S) |
90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay |
VINTAGE | NV |
FORMAT | 750ml Bottle |
ABV | 12.5% |
FEATURES | Sustainable, Vegan-Friendly |
SCALE | Dry |
60% is from a single harvest with 40% reserve wine added - both 80% Bouzy and the remainder Ambonnay. Aged for 10 months in barrel on the lees, bottled with zero dosage.
Simply put, these are some of the most exciting wines in the Montagne de Reims. Often very difficult to find, with only a very small allocation for Ontario. Peter Liem, one of the foremost Champagne experts and enthusiasts, called Benoit Lahaye “one of the finest growers in the Montagne de Reims.” From his estate in the Grand Cru village of Bouzy, Benoit crafts tiny amounts of exquisite Champagne built on texture and precision. Lahaye’s wines are ample, powerful, but also finely sculpted, with a backbone of chalky minerality, always a hallmark of the finest wines from Bouzy.
An ardent believer in biodynamic viticulture, Lahaye was cerfitied organic in 2007 and biodynamic since 2010. He believes that healthy soils are integral to the production of fine Champagne. To that end he began planting cover crops in the vineyards and works them by horse in order to avoid soil compaction. Since converting to biodynamics Lahaye has observed an increase in both grape ripeness and acidity, enabling him to create wines of breadth and power that nonetheless retain freshness and elegance. Lahaye ferments the majority of his wines in barrel and ages them on the lees for several months before bottling.
These are ample wines, showcasing the finest qualities of this grand cru terroir. While the vast majority of the wines are composed of Pinot Noir from Bouzy and a little from Ambonnay, Lahaye also has a small parcel of Chardonnay in Voipreux, near Vertus, which is the source of his stunning Blanc de Blancs. Moreover, he produces a single-vineyard Champagne called Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre, made from a field blend of old vines, mostly planted in 1923. Not only does it include all seven of Champagne’s heritage grape varietals, but also a number of other no longer permitted varietals, such as gros plant. It is one of the most distinctive wines in Champagne.