So-called “grower Champagne” remains one of the hottest categories around, and there’s a simple reason why: Wines like Lancelot-Royer’s “Cuvée des Chevaliers” deliver more pedigree-for-dollar than just about any other wine. The level of craftsmanship and history you can get in the $50 range continues to astound me—every time I turn around, there’s another récoltant-manipulant (grower-producer) turning up in an importer’s portfolio, with a generations-old story to tell and a base level of quality that transcends expectations. I’m not looking to christen my yacht with Champagne—I want to drink it, frequently, and there’s so much great, well-priced wine out there that we’re compelled to keep offering it.
I first became acquainted with the wines of Lancelot-Royer a few years ago, and if there were ever a producer who embodied “artisanal” production, it’s proprietor Michel Chauvet. With Michel at the helm, Lancelot-Royer has dedicated itself to the manual labor of wine: from harvest to riddling to disgorgement to bottling, Chauvet literally has his hands on everything. Today’s wine is his flagship “Cuvée des Chevaliers,” a blanc de blancs with a broader, denser quality than most all-Chardonnay Champagnes. Sourced from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côtes des Blancs village of Cramant, this bottle challenges one’s perceptions as to what a blanc de blancs wine is capable of; if you’re thinking “light and lemony,” think again—this is a powerful, laser-focused expression of Chardonnay, and soil, that happens to be sparkling. Jump on this!
Not only is this wine 100% Chardonnay but its home village, Cramant, is nearly 100% planted to the variety. This is the heart of the Côte des Blancs sub-zone of Champagne, and one of its Grand Cru-designated vineyard areas. 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 Michel Chauvet, in 1996. Working in their rustic, hand-excavated caves, their only allowance to modernity are his stainless steel fermentation vessels, which line the damp, chisel-marked walls. The hand-harvested fruit is pressed by hand in an upright, wooden press, then fermented using only indigenous yeasts.
For a non-vintage brut nature (i.e. no dosage) bottling at this price point, the wine’s vital stats are incredibly impressive: it was aged five years on its lees in bottle; hand-riddled; and blended with 30% ‘reserve’ wines from previous vintages. That certainly explains its depth and persistence on the palate. In its Brut Nature incarnation (there is also a “regular” Cuvée des Chevaliers with a modest dosage), it ratchets the minerality component up to 11, leaving no doubt as to its chalky limestone origins.
In the glass, Cuvée des Chevaliers is a bright yellow-gold extending to the rim, with heady aromas of green apple, pear, peach, citrus pith, cream, brioche dough, dried white flowers, and a pile of crushed stones. It has the creaminess you’d expect from such long lees aging, but also a very full-fruited personality and a strong, balancing mineral component. It’s one of the more mouth-filling blanc de blancs Champagnes I’ve had in some time, with a beautifully refreshing blast of ripe green apple fruit on the palate. It has plenty of backbone and heft for extended aging, but at this price, I’ll be popping a few soon. Serve in all-purpose or Burgundy stems at 50 degrees and pair it with a rich broiled oyster preparation as in the attached recipe. It will be so, so good. I can’t wait to try it myself. A toast to great grower Champagne!
