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The Champagne Society August 2021 Selection: Champagne Valentin Leflaive

Champagne Valentin Leflaive
Cuvée 15 I 50 – Grand Cru ‘Le Mesnil sur Oger’ – Blanc de Blancs – Extra Brut
Price for Members of The Champagne Society: $93


When great minds think alike, great wines may be born.


That is certainly the case with the partnership between Erick de Sousa from the Côte des Blancs and one of Burgundy’s most heralded producers, Olivier Leflaive. The fortuitous collaboration arose after one of de Sousa’s frequent trips to Leflaive’s Puligny-Montrachet vineyard, when Olivier suggested that the two old friends combine talent and passions and create a unique new label, and Champagne Valentin Leflaive was born.

 

 

 


No two Champagne stars were Better situated to align.


Winemaker Olivier Leflaive’s family has been rooted in the village of Puligny-Montrachet since 1717. In 1982, after a successful career in the music business, Olivier became the co-manager of Domaine Leflaive, and two years later, launched his own wine production company with the help of his uncle Vincent, his brother Patrick and later his cousin Anne-Claude. ‘Olivier Leflaive Frères’ soon established itself among the finest of haute-couture Burgundian producers. Steeped in local tradition, Olivier strongly believes that the best way to taste his wines is to serve them with simple local fare.

Erick De Sousa is the third generation of Portuguese vignerons to create wine in the Grand Cru village of Avize in the Côte Des Blancs. He farms 22 acres in the vicinity of Avize, with plots in Oger, Cramant and Chouilly and additionally, in the Montagne de Reims near Aÿ and Ambonnay as well as a small holding in the Vallée de la Marne. An early pioneer of biodynamics, his old-vine (the oldest dates to 1932) vineyards are ploughed by horse and he is committed to extensive lees ageing, full malolactic fermentation and aging reserve wines in wood. His adherence to biodynamics is founded on a keen understanding of his terroir: “I wanted to give back to the soil what it has given me over the years. Without the soil of Champagne, our domain would not exist.”

The Valentin Leflaive partners chose Oger as their base of operation, one of the most prestigious appellations in the Côte des Blancs. The vineyards of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, planted almost exclusively to Chardonnay, grow on east-facings slopes near the village, with some southeast-facing slopes to the northwest. The inclination varies from higher elevations near the forested crest of Côte des Blancs hill to the flat expanse below the village. Champagne from this appellation is mineral-driven and richly sumptuous.


Winemaker Notes


Terroir
• 100% Le Mesnil sur Oger – Grand Cru, Côte des Blancs
• Parcels: Cœur de Terroir (Chandalouette, Voilibart, Jeamprunt)
• Average Age of Vines: 20 years
• Exposition: South and Southeast
• Soil Type: Chalk and Flint
• Altitude: 500 ft
Elaboration
• Manual Harvest: 100%
• Pressing: Fractional (The first juices are separated from the rest, the rest is eliminated)
• Vinification: In thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats
• Base Wine: 12% reserve wine, 88% 2015 harvest
• Racking: April 2016
• Aging on Lees: 4 years
• Date of Disgorging: July 1, 2020
• Dosage: 5 grams/liter
Drinking Suggestions
• Drinking Window: Within 2 years
• Optimal Service Temperature: 46°F
Tasting Notes
This airy Champagne with light emerald reflections is characterized by a straight and precise nose where lime and tangerine are close to flint. Its fresh and harmonious mouth reveals the minerality of flint and chalk. Its long and salivating finish is punctuated by pleasant salinity.

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Posted on 2021.08.05 in France, The Champagne Society, Champagne

 

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