Lelarge Pugeot "Tradition" Brut Nature Premier Cru Vrigny, Montagne de Reims, Champagne

750ml bottle

12.5% abv

Nose of wild honey, hazelnut, and peach, with apple, pear, and toast & herbal notes. The palate shows fresh apple with ripe, rich orange zest and apricot. Oxidative and mineral with medium length.

Vintage: 2021 Harvest
Grapes: Pinot Meunier (50%), Pinot Noir (40%), Chardonnay (10%)
Viticulture: Certified Organic 2014, Demeter Certified Biodynamic 2017
Age of Vines: 25 years old
Soils: Chalk, limestone, clay loam, sand
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: Fermentation and aging in foudre
Aging: 1.5 years on the lees in bottle

Bottled: 07/22
Disgorged: 11/23
Dosage: 0 g/L (Brut Nature)
Fining or Filtering: None

This entry-level stunner features a Meunier-dominant blend to highlight the power and finesse of the domaine’s leading grape, the under-appreciated Meunier. This cuvée is the platonic ideal of growers’ champagne - one that seamlessly weaves the minerality in the soils with the delicate aromas of grapes from a blend of 30 parcels within Vrigny. A true reflection of the Vrigny terroir.

Lelarge-Pugeot is an eighth-generation winery in the Premier Cru village of Vrigny on the rolling slopes of the Montagne de Reims (about 15 minutes west of Reims). It is a real family operation, helmed by the two parents, Dominique and Dominique, and supported by their three children, including the Bay Area's own Clémence.

The family’s 8.7 hectares of vineyards, which are planted mostly with Meunier, face northward, offering some protection from the effects of global warming, though Clémence is quick to note that they can now make red wines for the first time in the history of Champagne. The domaine, which has been certified organic since 2014 and Demeter-certified biodynamic since 2017, is comprised of 42 distinct parcels where Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay are grown at elevations of 400 ft.

The wines of Lelarge-Pugeot are bright and full of pizzazz, and the family is producing some electric juice—including Nature et Non Dosé, their no sulfur/no dosage cuvée. Truly remarkable fizz all around.