Implore, rejection. Implore, rejection. For the first six years of our business, that was the cyclical nature of tracking down any quantity of Benoît Lahaye’s cult wines. It was, for all intents and purposes, a monumental exercise in futility. But the surprise arrival and subsequent one-night sellout of his category-leading Brut Nature offer this past April seemed to open the floodgates. Along with that parcel, we were allowed an even-rarer opportunity to purchase a small armful of Lahaye’s 2014 “Violaine” and 2015 “Le Jardins de la Grosse Pierre,” his two white whales. It was the first time I had seen or tasted these two rarities, so for Champagne geeks like me, this was the equivalent of Christmas morning circa my childhood years. However, we received such a microscopic amount, our liaison had to coax Benoît into parting with another case of each. It took over four months, but that second shipment has just arrived, allowing us to scrape enough together for our most limited Friday night offer yet.
Don’t know Lahaye? This is a man crafting spellbindingly natural “cult bottlings” of Certified Organic and Biodynamic distinction: Manual plowing with his Auxois horse; spontaneous fermentation in barrel; no sulfur additions; tiny, handmade production. And now, we’re proud owners of his two rarest and most unique creations. “Violaine” is a biodynamic, Pinot-Chard blend with zero manipulation (no added yeasts, racking, filtering, fining, sulfur), and “Le Jardins de la Grosse Pierre” hails from a 97-year-old biodynamic vineyard in Grand Cru Bouzy planted to a field blend of all seven authorized grapes of Champagne, plus other unknowns that were grandfathered in long ago. These two gems are brimming with life and profundity—they are the
ne plus ultra of natural, Biodynamic Champagne. Two two-packs per person, complimentary Ground Shipping on one.
[NOTE: If this is your first time seeing our Friday night series, welcome. My name is Mark Osburn, writer and sommelier at SommSelect, and you’re likely familiar with the many Champagnes I’ve waxed rhapsodic about for over the years. My goal is simple: to offer you rare Champagne exclusives and/or highly allocated sparkling gems that have to be pried out of an iron grip. These special offers don’t happen every week, but they will always be on a Friday night...stay ever-vigilant.]
If you truly want to fully comprehend the unique terroir, regality, and pure expression of this world-renowned region, Benoît Lahaye is an absolute essential. Without question, he deserves to be immortalized in Champagne’s history books, as he is leading the surging wave of natural farming/winemaking. There’s a reason his name reverberates off every upscale wine bar, decorates the finest wine lists, and is proudly displayed in the cellars of fine wine collectors. This is a man who has spent his entire adult life committed to his 4.8 hectares, four of which are located in the Grand Cru locales of Bouzy (home base) and Ambonnay. Benoît joined his family estate in 1993 and immediately began walking the road towards natural farming. Today, after being fully organic for the past 17 years and fully biodynamic for 10, Lahaye’s champagnes are the epitome of terroir-authentic wines. Through the growing season, all work is painstakingly carried out by hand. Herb infusions and organic manures are applied to combat the wrath of nature and his stout Auxois horse, Tamise, can be found plowing every row of vines. This is an all natural outfit.
2014 “Violaine”
An equal blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, coming from two parcels—one in Grand Cru Bouzy, the other in neighboring Premier Cru Tauxières-Mutry—that are fermented in used French barrels naturally, slowly, and separately. They are then married together and bottled without any sulfur or sugar additions. This batch was disgorged in April of 2020 without any sulfur, fining/filtration, or sugar. Here are my original, unedited notes: “Pale yellow-gold with silver hues in the glass. Acacia, hazelnut, raw lees, raw honey, honeysuckle, crushed almonds, Anjou pear, yellow apple skin, salt-preserved lemon, tamarind paste, crushed chalk. Beautifully delineated orchard fruit pulsating with raw energy. Graceful, subtle, extraordinarily persistent. A master class in natural champagne. Must be enjoyed over a long period. Gets more savory and complex with each passing hour. The less bubbles, the more intricacies.
2015 “Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre”
One of the wildest wines in all of Champagne, this spectacular biodynamic vineyard, first planted in 1923, was farmed by Benoît’s late grandfather into his early 80s. It’s a traditional field-blend vineyard, propagated with all seven authorized Champagne varieties—Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier, Petit Meslier, Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Fromenteau (Pinot Gris)—as well as obscure varieties that were grandfathered in long ago. Even Benoît himself doesn’t know what’s all planted in here! All grapes are co-harvested and then co-fermented together in used French barrels before bottling without any additions. This batch was disgorged in February 2020 and no sugar or sulfur was added. My original, unedited notes follow. Slightly deeper in color with copper hues. Green and red apple skin, blackcurrant, Damson plum, lime blossom, citrus cream, crushed stones, damp herbs, churned butter, raw almonds, sage. Much more sublime than Violaine on the palate. Softly layered, no edges. Smooth as can be. But also a bit wild with savory undertones. Finishes with tingling energy, finesse, and a vivid mineral edge. An untold number of grape varieties fused together to create one harmonious wine. Incredible. Stretch this bottle out as long as possible too. Far more expressive 2+ hours after opening.
If you really want to experiment, save a glass of each for day two, like I did, and report back to me at Marko@sommselect.com with your own thoughts. Enjoy!
