Undercover Legends of Champagne
2 products
We're talking about two absolute gems of the Champagne world: Benoit Dehu and Fabrice Pouillon. Two producers who, while they embrace tradition, are seemingly of a similar mindset - creating absolutely pure, unctuous and lively Champagnes that are borderline addictive and crafted with the utmost care.
Fabrice Pouillon joined the family business in 1998, and he quickly began working to convert the vineyards to biodynamic viticulture, with an eye to improving the overall health of the fruit. His care for quality extends to his winemaking, where all juice flows via gravity into their vessel, where they are allowed to ferment naturally. Even the pressings are done carefully, in fractional steps, a departure from most in Champagne who care more about speed than exacting quality. The results are stupendous: both freshness and concentration of flavor abound.
Benoit Dehu cut his teeth at Bollinger, and was inspired to pursue biodynamics in a small plot of his family’s Domaine upon returning, creating his eponymous Champagne label, dedicated almost entirely to the Pinot Meunier grape. From this 1.70 hectare plot, Benoit crafts two sparkling wines and two still wines, all of which are vinified in oak, and are bottled without any further interference of fining or filtering, and zero dosage after disgorgement. Heavy limestone soils provide incredible lift to the Meunier grape, emphasizing its floral, zesty tones.
