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Champagne Pierre Legras, Grand Cru “Coste Beert”

Champagne, France MV (750mL)
$49.00
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Champagne Pierre Legras, Grand Cru “Coste Beert”

There’s no refuting that Michelin three-star Osteria Francescana is among the greatest international dining experiences one can have. It attracts the curious from all around the globe and, at any given time, thousands of people can be found jockeying for a position on their virtual waiting list. Why? This is the pinnacle of gustation/service/ambiance and the embodiment of mise en place. Every dish, wine, and pairing is meticulously created, then perfected, after endless trial and error. I say all this because our most recent direct import, Champagne Pierre Legras’ Grand Cru Chouilly—is served at this renowned Michelin restaurant. However, I didn’t learn this until well after we had struck up a deal with the Legras family, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to get it from their cellar to your door for $49 after the fact.


It’s not that we needed any testimonials for this broadly rich and mineral chiseled Grand Cru, but when it’s generously poured by the glass at one of the world’s finest dining establishments, you can’t help but feel validated. Amazingly, Champagne Legras still has very little presence overseas, despite 11 consecutive generations and a 358-year legacy in the coveted Grand Cru of Chouilly. And yet, they deliver today’s “Coste Beert” at a price that even we’re still struggling to comprehend. It's hard to say when our next trip to France will be, so we strongly urge you to take what you can now!


Although the Legras’ Chouilly lineage started with the birth of Pierre Legras in 1662—during the time of Dom Perignon, and under the reign of King Louis XIV, it took 10 generations until current proprietor Vincent Legras and his father began purchasing vines and making Champagne from these fabled soils. What started with a handful of hectares has now grown to 10, seven of which are planted to Grand Cru Chardonnay—the Legras’ speciality. And it’s their pure Chardonnay bottlings that we instantly fell in love with. Only recently has the family begun looking to export their outrageously delicious Champagnes, so meeting them in Paris earlier this year definitely felt like a right-place, right-time incident.  



For today’s “Coste Beert” cuvée, they looked to special parcels within their seven hectares of sustainably farmed Grand Cru Chouilly Chardonnay. After hand harvesting their crop in 2016, they gently pressed the grapes and began a slow, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Following, the base vintage was blended with 30% older reserve wines to add further complexity. The wine was then bottled in the summer of 2017 for the second fermentation and subsequent aging. After 26 months, it was disgorged and given a dosage of roughly six grams per liter. It rested in their cellar for an additional year before shipping directly to us. 



Really, what else is there to say? This Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne is a sensational $50 grab that few, if anyone else, in America have access to. In the glass, a fierce mousse roars out—since this only aged 26 months on lees, there’s copious amounts of intense perfume and vigor that won’t hesitate to knock your senses back. So, my advice is to pour into all-purpose stems and allow the carbonation to settle before giving it a few unreserved swirls, and then allowing the mousse to settle yet again. Then, stick your nose in and prepare to be met with a sublime beauty: right alongside a high-toned candied green apple and Kaffir lime note exists a supple bed of Meyer lemon, crushed chalk, oyster shell, honeysuckle nectar, warm brioche, white pear, yellow peach skin, and white flowers. The palate, thankfully, does not slice through like a laser beam—in fact, quite the opposite: this is soft, creamy, and composed all the way. Is it filled to the brim with complex, nuanced flavors? No. Does it need to be? Absolutely not. This Chouilly Blanc de Blancs lacks for nothing, and is guaranteed to please any number of folks you open it for. Enjoy this high-quality, low-priced Grand Cru Champagne now and over the next 2-3 year. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Champagne
Sub-Region
FranceGrand Cru Chouilly
Soil
Chalk & Marine Fossils
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol
12.0
TEMP.
50
Glassware
All-Purpose Stem
Drinking
Now-2025
Pairing
Trenette w/ Langoustine

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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