Georges Laval Cumieres Premier Cru Brut Nature

The Laval family in the Premier Cru designated village of Cumières on the south side of the Reims Mountain facing and very close to the river Marne. Between Dizy and Damery almost opposite of Epernay. Vincent Laval took over from his dead (Georges) more then 10 years ago. The family domain started in 1971, right from the beginning with the biodynamic approach. They own 2,5 ha in the Premier Cru site of the town Cumières.

They major aim is to do Champagne where you can taste the minerality, the soil and terroir. One common thing in Champagne is to chaptalize the wine, kind of pick early as possible retain the acidity but yet having sort of under ripe grapes with low or lower alcohol outcome after the first, alcoholic fermentation. Therefore an additional extra alcohol or two % is desired (regulated by the European Union) and chaptalisation comes quite handy. Yet the Laval winery does not want to chaptalize at all, which is ground breaking. Let the fruit and the soil express itself in the finished Champagne but not the sugar. Far as I could tell from visiting the cellar and listening to Vincent the base wines ferment and age in small oak barrels. Small overall production size and this helps to vinify lots separately kind of enhancing the terroir and taste of typicité. On the other side one could argue how much wood (small wooden barrels, Burgundy size) will effect the outcome of terroir. Another thing which is very interesting the choice of the varieties. Beside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir there is almost an equal amount of Pinot Meunier present. The biodynamic approach starts in the vineyard, with no pesticides or herbicides used. To let the soil express its full beauty. The vinification of the different lots and small vineyards separately enhance a lot of the character despite it might be blended for the finishing product. Only wild yeast is used for the alcoholic fermentation and very little dosage is added if any. Therefore most of Laval´s Champagnes taste dry, clean, very pure and very mineral.