222 Champagne Grand Cru AC NV Brut Essentiel
Benoit Lahaye

Grape:90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay (12% alc.)

This comes from grand cru rated 30 year old vines in Bouzy and Ambonnay. Made from the 2006 and 2007 vintages it was initially aged 50% in cuve and 50% in two to five year-old barrels. It was then given two and a half years on the lees before it was disgorged in July 2010 and has a 6g/l dosage. Very expressive on the nose it offers a good depth of spicy red fruits on the palate.

* Half bottles are available

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Benoit Lahaye
Location:	Bouzy (also vines in Ambonnay)
Size of domaine:	4½ hectares producing 30,000 bts a year.
Grape:	90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay, 30 year old vines from both Bouzy (70%) and Ambonnay (30%) all grand cru rated 9000 vines per hectare. 70% massale selection, 30% clonale (766, 292, 386, 521…) largely on 41B rootstock.
Terroir:	2 mtrs of limestone-clay soil overlie chalk. Gentle, south-facing hillside.
Viticulture:	Organically certified (Ecocert 2007) and bio-dynamic viticulture practiced since 2005. The soil is ploughed and grass left to grow in alternate rows – swaps round every other year. NB only 2 out of 60 growers plough in Bouzy. Yield of 50 hectos per hectare.
Vinification:	Natural yeasts. Initial fermentation produced average of 10.8% alcohol over last 4 years. 80% cuve aged and 20% in 3 to 10 year old barrels. 20% of malos completed 80% blocked. Bottled in May with 50% reserve wine from 2 vintages preceding the main vintage. Reserve wine kept in 3-10 year old 225ltr barrels for 5 months and cuve for the rest of the time. The champagnes have never been fined and since 2006 no filtration either. Spends minimum of 2 years sur latte under capsule before disgorging with a 6g/l dosage (mix of reserve wine and cane sugar).
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £21.88