You may have noticed a few new additions to our Champagne category — a category we can never seem to get enough of at Old World. Champagne has been one of the more dynamic, exciting regions in recent years. The quality has never been higher, and conversations around terroir, site specificity, and style are being pushed into places that are seeing phenomenal new expressions from tiny villages that have been largely unsung from a history of harnessing growers that grew grapes for the local co-ops or larger negociant houses.

Two such families with a history of growing for the big houses were the Lacourtes and the Godbillons. They were actually among the first to break out of this mold after WWII and bottle a small portion to sell under the names Lacourte-Labasse and Godbillon-Marie. Finally, though the family names merged in 1968. Their daughter Geraldine and her husband Richard came into the fold after a little life experience in 2006 and have since then continued the tradition of protecting and promoting the quality and uniqueness of place in their grapes above all else. Paramount to their mission has been learning all they could about farming organically and making wine in a way that puts place over process.

Lacourte-Godbillon holds 20.5 acres of vines (85% PN, 15% C) - nearly all of which is the village of Écueil on the western banks of the (Petite) Montagne de Reims (a tiny bit is in Les Mesneux nearby), a village whose soils are noted for sand mixed with clay and limestone which is unique to this area. They have taken the approach many smaller growers have adopted, harvesting small distinct plots and fermenting them separately (some in barrel sourced from local forest others in stainless steel) — expanding the variety of micro-expressions from which to create. Their aging regimen varies, but it is often on the longer side — from 24 months to seven years.

Here’s what we have in house waiting to be received:

Terroirs de Écueil Extra Brut NV - a medley of plots from around the Écueil village. About 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay, just as is planted. This wine is based in 2018 and sees up to 65% reserve wines (a substantial amount!) from 2017, 2016, and 2015. It is aged for a minimum of 28 months on the lees prior to disgorgement with an additional 6 months in bottle before release. 5 g/l dosage.

Rose Extra Brut NV - 100% Pinot Noir (8% aged in oak barrels). 2018 is the base with with 27% from 2015 reserves. It is aged for 24 month prior to disgorgement. 5 g/l dosage.

Chaillots Haut Vignes Extra Brut 2018 - 100% Chardonnay from two single vineyards: Chaillots and Haut Vignes. From vintage 2018 only. Vinified in oak, unlined, unfiltered, use of gravity exclusively. Aged under cork. Aged for 36 months before disgorgement. 2.5 g/l dosage.

Chaillots Extra Brut 2016 - 100% Pinot Noir exclusively from the Chaillots vineyard planted in 1966 (vintage 2015). Vinified in barrel, MLF blocked, aged 60 months on the lees before disgorgement. 1.5 g/l dosage.

Georges Remy

Another addition to our Champagne portfolio that we saw drop in a couple weeks ago is Georges Remy, who shares some similarities with Lacourte Godbillon in that they are also located in the Montagne de Reims (Bouzy in particular) with a long history going back to 1829. Georges’s grandfather broke away from selling grapes to the bigger houses after WWII and began to bottle his own wine. But Georges’s father’s heart was really only with the vines and stopped this tradition of bottling wine 1989. He passed on so much of this vineyard knowledge to Georges and others as a consultant. Georges possessed passion for both vine and cellar. He was gifted a tiny plot to produce the less common still red wine in 2011 from the Les Vaudayants parcel then went on to produce sparkling wine in 2014 with the encouragement of friends like Benoit Lahaye to tell him that his wines were meant to be shared with the world not just himself and close friends.

Georges organically farms under 5 hectares over 17 parcels in the villages of Bouzy, Tauxières, Ambonnay, and Louvois. He works with with Paillard and Lahaye to create their own compost. He keeps about 20% of the grapes he produces for his own wine production and sells the rest for now. Here’s what we have in stock:

Les Quatres Terroirs V20 - A compilation of grapes from vineyards in Ambonnay, Bouzy, Tauxières, and Louvois (73% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay). Vendange 2020 (94%), 2019 (3%) et 2018 (3%). Mixture of barrels (new along with 2, 3 and 4 years of age); goes through MLF. Disgorged July 2021. 0 g/l dosage.

Les Quatres Terroirs v18 1.5ml - A compilation of grapes from the 2018 vintage born in vineyards from Ambonnay, Bouzy, Tauxières, and Louvois (82% Pinot Noir, 18% Chardonnay). Mixture of barrels (new along with 2, 3 and 4 years of age); goes through MLF. Bottled in 2019 and disgorged in July 2022. Unfined and unfiltered. 1 g/l dosage.

Vaudayants Rose V20 - 100% Pinot Noir coming from the Vaudayants parcel.

Blanc de Noirs 2018 - Coming from Bouzy parcels: Vaudayants (planted in 1975), Hennepes (1997), and Huriauts (2006). 100% Pinot Noir. Mixture of barrels (new along with 2, 3 and 4 years of age); goes through MLF. 0 g/l dosage.

Coteaux Champenois Blanc ‘Les Houardes’ 2020 - 100% Chardonnay from a tiny parcel planted in 1986.

Old Families, New(ish) Faces from Champagne: Lacourte-Godbillon & Georges Remy