Although Lenoble does work with purchased fruit from other growers, their lineup is built around their own vineyard holdings—the crown jewel of which is a ten-hectare Chardonnay parcel in Chouilly, the northernmost village in the Chardonnay-rich Côte des Blancs. Other key estate holdings include 6 hectares of Pinot Noir in the Premier Cru village of Bisseuil, on the Montagne de Reims, and 3 hectares of Pinot Meunier around their home base in Damery, in the Vallée de la Marne. The house was founded in 1920 by Armand-Raphaël Graser, who had moved his family from Alsace to protect them during the first World War. Lenoble is now run by his great-grandchildren, the brother-sister team of Anne and Antoine Malassagne. The Malassagnes have made sustainable viticulture a priority at Lenoble, eschewing chemical fertilizers and drastically reducing (or eliminating entirely) other non-organic vineyard treatments. The ‘base’ wines for the estate's assortment of cuvées are fermented in a mix of vessels, including wood barrels of varying sizes, and Antoine—who is both the winemaker and vineyard manager—generally favors low dosage levels in his wines, preferring to let the fruit and terroir character show through (dosage is a small, “corrective” amount of sugar added to a finished Champagne, and each Champagne house has a different approach to the practice—this “Brut Intense” has a very low 5 grams/liter of dosage, which is reflected in the bone-dry finish).

 

Another noteworthy feature of “Brut Intense” is that it contains a substantial percentage (30%) of ‘reserve’ wines—wines from previous vintages blended with the ‘current-vintage’ wine to lend depth and dimension. This version of “Brut Intense” is based on the 2013 vintage, and spent more than three years aging on its lees before it was released into the market. The blend is 30% Chardonnay (from the Grand Cru village of Chouilly), 35% Pinot Noir (from Bisseuil) and 35% Pinot Meunier (from Damery).

 

The mix of elegance and richness in this wine is quite impressive for the price. In the glass it’s a pale straw gold, with a bold aromatic profile loaded with fruit and savor: green and red apple, citrus, white cherry, fresh ginger, crushed stones, baking spices, and brioche dough. The acidity is brisk and tangy, but there’s a good amount of texture on the palate—it’s a substantial Champagne with good weight for food, with a mid-palate like an apple tart topped with crème fraiche. Two sips of this wine and you are instantly hungry, and there’s enough under the hood here to take on a simple roast chicken or a more involved preparation like the attached. This is “house” Champagne with an extra gear—a truly great discovery at this price point. Enjoy!