Every Friday The no1 Champagne expert in the world will taste new & old Champagne s to give You a tip or two for the weekend. This week Richard Juhlin tasted som new champagnes from Leclerc-Briant. [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Leclerc-Briant
★★★
Lucien Leclerc made his first bottles of champagne in 1872 and since 1978, his grandson Pascal Leclerc was at the helm of the 30-hectare estate. Shortly after I met the vital and wonderful Pascal in 2010, he very unexpectedly and tragically passed away missed by an entire wine world. In 2012, the company was bought by Frédéric Zeimett, who originally comes from Champagne. He has worked for Moët & Chandon for 23 years, but he also has a past in the Rhône Valley and the Loire Valley. Admittedly, the bottles have now been given a new label that gives a slightly cleaner and tighter impression, but the philosophy has been retained by the new owner. He will continue with the biodynamic cultivation.
The house today has 7 own hectares and buys additional grapes from a dozen hand-picked growers who, of course, also grow their grapes biodynamically. They own vineyards in six villages, of which Cumières accounts for most of the grapes. It is precisely in Cumières that Leclerc-Briant made three fantastic clos wines in a series called Les Authentiques. You have to look for better examples of the importance of the soil. All three – Les Crayères, Chèvres Pierreuses and Clos des Champions – were among the best vintage wines Champagne could offer. In summary, Leclerc-Briant is a pioneer house with extremely interesting wines in a complex and expressive slightly oxidative style.
‘La Ravinne, a monocru with 100% Pinot Meunier as well as La Croisette and Les Basses Prières are the latest shooting stars.’
Richard Juhlin
