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Champagne Lallier, “Grande Réserve” Grand Cru Brut

Champagne, France NV (750mL)
$49.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Champagne Lallier, “Grande Réserve” Grand Cru Brut

The village name, “Äy,” and its noteworthy status, “Grand Cru,” factor nearly as prominently on the label of today’s Champagne as the name of the house: Lallier. Even in Champagne, home to many famous international brands, place of origin is still a critical component of that branding.
Äy is arguably the most prestigious cru village in the Vallée de la Marne—it is home to iconic greats like Bollinger and planted to a predominance of Pinot Noir, which informs today’s wine to the tune of 65% of the cuvée. Further enhanced with a generous proportion of “reserve” wines from prior vintages, Lallier’s “Grande Réserve” is a precise, powerful, multi-layered Grand Cru Champagne that offers immense value. All ‘tech talk’ aside, what it really comes down to with this wine is that it tastes more expensive than it is. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it’s mostly a function of structure and persistence on the palate—in today’s case, the wine packs a tremendous amount of flavor and density into a very fine, focused package. The stars are all aligned on this one—have at it!
Lallier is a small, quality-focused négociant-manipulant (NM) originally founded in 1906 and later “re-launched” by the Lallier family in the 1990s. Tribaut, who studied enology in Dijon and is descended from generations of Champagne vignerons, had worked with the estate as a consultant and later got the opportunity to acquire it outright, in 2004. He has full control of both the cellar and the estate’s 15 hectares of vineyards, which supply about 40% of its total production.

In addition to fruit from the home base in Äy, the Grande Réserve Brut incorporates grapes from the Grand Cru villages of Verzenay, Avize, and Cramant. Its composition is 65% Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, with 35% reserve wines adding palpable depth to the cuvée. It aged a minimum 30 months on its lees before disgorgement, lending a pleasing bread-dough yeastiness to its complex tangle of flavors.

In the glass, the NV Grande Réserve is a bright yellow-gold with straw and silver reflections. The nose is an expressive mix of red and yellow fruits, including Rainier cherry, bruised pear, red and yellow apple, and plum skin, along with notes of brioche, crushed chalk, and toasted almonds. It is taut and mineral on the palate, with a very substantial feel—not broad and lush, but rather muscular, linear. It would make a very sophisticated apéritif or first-course wine with some freshly shucked oysters and mignonette. Put that combination together and you’re a superstar, plain and simple. Enjoy!
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Country
France
Region
Champagne
Sub-Region
FranceVallée de la Marne
Soil
Chalk and Clay
Farming
Organic
Blend
Pinot Noir 65% / Chardonnay 35%
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
Neutral
TEMP.
50-55
Glassware
All Purpose White Stem, Riesling Stem, or Large Open Mouth Flute
Drinking
Now-2025
Pairing
Oysters w/ Mignonette

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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