La Closerie,
Jérôme Prévost
| Vigneron | Jérôme Prévost |
| Location | Gueux (Marne) |
| Size of Domaine | 2.2 ha |
| Terroir | Continental climate with oceanic influence. Light sandy soil and clay-limestone over chalk bedrock. Single vineyard. 120m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Soils are partially hand ploughed, no herbicide or insecticide. Sulphur and copper against mildew/oidium although fungicide might be used in case of extreme pressure. |
| View La Closerie, Jérôme Prévost wines ↓ |
Jérôme Prévost started in the village of Gueux (Petite Montagne de Reims) in 1987, taking over a single plot of co-planted old vines in the lieu-dit Les Béguines inherited by his mother. She was the one who spurred him into action by doubting whether he could ever make it as a vigneron.
Jérôme sold his grapes on to the négoce for the first ten years, primarily because he didn’t have a cellar. Between 1998 and 2003, he worked with iconic grower Anselme Selosse who allowed him to use his cave in Avize – from where he made his first bottlings of Les Béguines. He then crafted his champagnes in a garage behind his house. And finally, in 2018, Jérôme moved to a beautifully designed eco-friendly cellar (and house) adjacent to his 'closerie' of Les Béguines.
He is an artist at heart, working as a painter as a young man, and then later turning his hand to sculpture and photography. He loves to scour local flea markets for tiny 'objets d’art'; he also writes poetry and regularly organises literary celebrations.
Jérôme has an interesting angle when questioned as to whether a vigneron is similar to an artist – "You have to listen to nature with the sensitivity of an artist, perhaps. But then an artist seems to have mastery of their art. A talented grower? No – as nature is ultimately the master!"
Les Béguines is a 2.2ha field blend – pinot meunier (94%), pinot gris, noir, and chardonnay. It was planted by massal selection on qualitative rootstock in the 1960s, right before the industrial revolution arrived in the vineyards (1970s) when clones and chemical solutions became the norm. The 55-million-year-old Thanetian soils here form a deep strata of clays, sands, and limestone which weather out many marine fossils. Yields are naturally low and give concentrated fruit – this is particularly important for the pinot meunier which is not overly perfumed and gives little unless picked ripe. "As it was very rarely harvested at optimum maturity in the region, it doesn’t have the reputation that it deserves", comments Jérôme.
Viticulture is straightforward although meticulous. Jérôme practices horse ploughing at the end of winter, there's the occasional 'griffage' (light hand ploughing) under the vines during the season, but grass is allowed to grow until summer when it is mowed; sexual confusion is in place using pheromones to disrupt mating of harmful insects.
Jérôme's champagnes are made in an unmanipulated style: no unnecessary use of gadgetry and electricity, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, vinification and 10-month ageing in a mix of new to 13yo barrels of all sizes from 225 to 600ltr, and gentle bottling by gravity. Jérôme neither racks, filters nor stabilises the still wines and he uses 23g/l for the secondary fermentation. The ageing 'sur lattes' goes on for 14 to 18 months and disgorgement occurs with a dosage of around 2g/l if any.
La Closerie's bottlings are the ultimate expression of champagne as fine wine, and always repay ageing for several years for anyone who can resist temptation – Jérôme reckons that his champagnes open out fully after around six years in bottle.
N.B. Concerned about the extreme weather encountered over recent vintages and their potentially devastating effects on yields, Jérôme started a mini-négoce in 2019. He works in close relationship with a few vignerons, tending some of the vines himself, and applies the same dedication and attention to detail as he does with his own vineyard – see wines below.
Jérôme Prévost Wines
LA CLOSERIE (2022)
Les Béguines
94% Pinot Meunier, 6% Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
94% Pinot Meunier, 6% Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay (12.5% alc.)
First released in 1998, Les Béguines has become one of Champagne’s most emblematic cuvées. By singling out two hectares of low-yielding pinot meunier from the little-known village of Gueux, Jérôme brought the variety into the limelight – while demonstrating that there is much to explore beyond the region’s famed GC villages. Yields are naturally low due to the age of the vines and the rootstock’s limited vigour. Harvest is carried out as late as possible, ensuring optimum ripeness, which is essential to unlock pinot meunier’s full potential. The wine spends a maximum of 18 months 'sur lattes' as Jérôme prefers post-disgorgement ageing – he reckons his champagnes open out fully after around six years in bottle. Generally austere in youth, the 2022 is much more extrovert than usual, a consequence of the hot and dry summer. This is rich, vinous, dense, complex and extremely long on the palate but all the time beautifully fresh and balanced. Disgorged 08/24 - Dosage 2g/l.
LA CLOSERIE (2022)
Fac-Similé
94% Pinot Meunier, 6% Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
94% Pinot Meunier, 6% Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay (12.5% alc.)
Jérôme makes this extremely delicately coloured rosé by the addition of some still pinot meunier red wine (13%) to the base white wine of Les Béguines (87%). The red wine is made solely from pinot meunier 'à petits grains' (tiny berries) – a specific and qualitative selection of vines from Les Béguines – it is vinified without SO2 and aged for 10 months in one 228ltr barrel. The idea of doing a 'saignée' just for the sake of colour was not for Jérôme. This extremely scarce champagne (around 3,000 bottles produced each year) is refined with an incredible texture and layers of delicately perfumed spiced red fruits. Disgorged 08/24 - Dosage 2g/l.
LA CLOSERIE (2022)
&
100% Pinot Meunier
100% Pinot Meunier (12.5% alc.)
The 'Closerie &' cuvée was created to compensate losses due to different climate change related issues (hail, frost, storm etc). Grapes can come from different parts of Champagne depending on the year, some of them are tended by Jérôme and his team, others by the owners themselves – always in close collaboration i.e. both the date of harvest and sorting of the grapes are in Jérôme’s hands. In 2022, the grapes came from sandy soils in the villages of Gueux and Janvry as well as a dash of Les Béguines. Disgorged 08/24 - Non Dosé.
GRAND CRU (2022)
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay
50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay (12.5% alc.)
The chardonnay is sourced from Jérôme’s recently acquired 0.28ha in Mesnil-sur-Oger GC (Côtes des Blancs) – planted in the 1980s with massal selections – while the pinot comes from 1960s vines in Puisieulx GC (Montagne de Reims), worked by a like-minded grower in close collaboration. As Jérôme puts it, "my usual agricultural and winemaking practices are applied, and this bottling showcases the vineyards' noble pedigrees." Disgorged 08/24 - Non dosé.