At the start of 2017, we offered this long-aged 2008 Millésime from P. Lancelot-Royer, one of Champagne’s staunchly traditional producers. And it hasn’t returned by accident: This opulent, detailed expression of Chardonnay has reached a new level after 16 months of additional resting, blossoming into a truly remarkable wine that has far exceeded my already high expectations.
It’s beginning to show mature secondary notes and the perfectly integrated minerality bestowed by the 2008 vintage. This was a year of epic proportions, rated perfect by many, with some putting it above the all-time classics of 2002 and 1996. In Tyson Stelzer’s perennial “Champagne Guide,” he calls 2008 “a vintage of classic finesse, crystalline purity, tightly clenched acidity and monumental longevity...the essence of Champagne.” The best examples, like Lancelot-Royer, are age-worthy stunners, and the longer you wait, the better it becomes. Life doesn’t hand out second chances often, so whether you are revisiting or purchasing for the first time, do not miss this small-production gem. It has evolved into an unbelievable Champagne at an equally unbelievable price.
This 2008 really is love at first smell, like walking into a French bakery on a chilly morning. Its deep, creamy, brioche-dough aromatics owe to its exceptionally long lees aging in Lancelot-Royer’s hand-excavated caves in Cramant. Champagne geeks have come to associate the Cramant village with some of the best Chardonnay in Champagne—and, by extension, the world—and Lancelot-Royer farms 12 hectares of vineyards here, all of it Chardonnay and 100% Grand Cru. The property, one of Cramant’s smallest, was founded in 1960 by Pierre Lancelot, who turned over management to his daughter, Sylvie, and her husband, the aforementioned Michel Chauvet, in 1996. With Michel at the helm, Lancelot-Royer has dedicated itself first and foremost to the manual labor of wine: from harvest to riddling to disgorgement to bottling, Chauvet literally has his hands on everything.
I love that some of today’s coolest, trendiest winemaking accessories are the kinds of tools one might have used in the 1800s: a big, handsome draft horse to plow vineyards with; a cow’s horn for burying biodynamic mixtures in the soil; or maybe an old, wooden grape press. Just as there are still bespoke tailors and custom furniture-makers out there, there are still plenty of winemakers—a growing number, actually—who are determined to do as much as possible by hand. That has been Michel Chauvet’s unwavering mission at Lancelot-Royer. Perhaps his only allowances to modernity are his stainless steel fermentation vessels, which line the damp, chisel-marked walls of the old cave. The hand-harvested fruit is pressed by hand in an upright, wooden press, then fermented using only indigenous yeasts. The 2008 was aged a total of eight years in bottle, was riddled and disgorged by hand, and received less than 9 grams of dosage. The wine is, of course, unfined, unfiltered, and hand-labeled. The product of a generous vintage, this 2008 is pure pleasure to consume now, but will gain slightly nuttier and more savory characteristics with each year of careful cellaring. And, now with 16 more months of bottle age, you can expect more savor and an added layer of “brioche” magic.
The 2008 Grand Cru Cramant Millésime displays incredibly small bubbles that traverse a viscous, concentrated golden yellow core. The opulent nose reveals aromatics of creamy lemon curd, dried pineapple, honey, brioche, white mushroom, raw hazelnuts, a touch of apple blossom, crushed chalk and that magical kiss of oyster shell. The round yet supple palate is medium-plus in body and captures luxurious richness with a heavenly lift of acidity and chalk-driven verve. Proper glassware is critical here. Avoid the tall, thin Champagne flutes that are (or should be) collecting dust in the back of your cabinet; these glasses are akin to watching opera solely through binoculars. Opt instead for either an open-mouthed Champagne flute, Riesling stem, or an all-purpose white wine stem. Let this richly textured Champagne rise to about 55-60 degrees and most definitely pair it with food. It was a main-course wine over a year ago, and it still is now—alongside this delicious recipe for pan-seared trout with tarragon béchamel sauce. Cheers!
