NV Champagne Labruyère Prologue (2013 base)

Champagne Labruyère

France / Champagne / Champagne Labruyère

70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from Verzenay, Grand Cru. Based on the 2013 harvest, with 10% reserve wines from 2012. Tirage 2014 and aged on the lees for a period two times greater than appellation requirements. Disgorgement: 2018-2019 (see back label). Dosage: 1.6g/L.
The wine offers intriguing complexity, with aromas of dried fruits, enhanced by subtle toasty aromas and roasted hazelnut. Rich and harmonious on the palate. Beautiful structure of Pinot Noir is exquisitely intertwined with tension and energy of Chardonnay. Delicate and persistent on the finish.

November, 2020

James Halliday’s Top 100

The Australian

95 points

A new kid on the block, from Grand Cru vineyards in Verzenay, the base wine of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay , on tirage 2/4/14, disgorged 17/5/19. Lives up to expectations with a spicy brioche bouquet, the palate elegant and well balanced, with a particularly long finish and fresh aftertaste thanks to its micro dosage.

November, 2020

Ken Gargett

Quill& Pad

94 points

There was an immediate note of bitter almond, followed by spices, stone fruits, grilled nuts, and a minerally background. Hints of marmalade and glacé lemon. Crisp acidity. This was intense, balanced, and finished with a lovely touch of grapefruit and biscuit. Loved it.

October, 2020

Curly Haslam-Coates

The Wine Front

93 points

There has been a lot of precision in the making of this wine that shows through in the glass. A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, sourced from the Grand Cru vineyards of Verzenay, mostly in 2013 with a little reserve wine and during tirage, only 1.6g/l dosage. This Champagne is light and delicate with a huge potential for ageing.
The nose is tight and fresh with crisp green apples, fresh lemons, danish pastry and crushed almonds which all appear again on the palate. They are joined by notes of brioche, fresh button mushrooms, ripe apricots, grissini, quice and white blossom flowers. The bubbles are smooth and creamy with that taut and racy acidity driving the flavours into a long, lingering finish.
There is a falsehood that Non-Vintage Champagne isn’t as complex or cared for, however, JM Labruyère are allowing the fruit, the location and precise winemaking techniques to show that with confidence and know-how handed down through the generations, fine Champagne can be made, vintage declared or not.

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About Champagne Labruyère

Labruyère Champagne Grand Cru is the relatively young enterprise of top-flight French vignerons, the Labruyère family. The estate has almost 6 hectares located in Verzenay and Verzy, with holdings comprising 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. In 1873, an unofficial ranking placed Verzenay among the top three crus in Champagne, which is why the Labruyères settled upon this village on the glorious Montagne de Reims for their Champagne adventure. Edouard Labruyère chose to apply in Verzenay the same techniques as in Meursault, both in the cellar and vineyard. Since 2012 he’s been working with Vincent Van Waesberghe, chef de cave and chef de vigne, and Nadine Gublin, oenologist from Domaine Jacques Prieur. The team picks a little later than most growers, works only with the cuvée and sends all base wines through malolactic conversion - making for a pure, profound and powerful style of Champagne.

About

Nadine has been oenologist at the Labruyère family's Burgundy estate Domaine Jacques Prieur's since 1990. She has been technical manager there since 2009, when she also took the same role at Domaine Labruyère in Moulin-à-Vent. Well-known among fine wine enthusiasts for many years, in 1998 she was name Best French Winemaker by the highly respected Revue du Vin de France. She is an advocate of sustained farming, precise winemaking and optimal ripeness.