Benoît Lahaye is one of Champagne’s pioneering grower-producers, farming his family’s Grand Cru vineyards in Bouzy with certified biodynamic methods. He works the soils by horse, relies on native yeasts, and keeps cellar intervention to a minimum. In a village famous for powerful, structured Pinot Noir, Lahaye’s wines stand out for their purity, precision, and sense of place.

“Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre” is one of Champagne’s most remarkable historic sites: a single parcel planted in 1923 as a field blend of all seven traditional Champagne varieties, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Meunier, Arbane, Petit Meslier, and Pinot Gris. The grapes are harvested and fermented together with native yeasts in neutral oak barrels, so the wine expresses the parcel as a whole rather than any single variety. The 2019 spent several years on its lees before disgorgement as Extra Brut, yielding a Champagne of unusual aromatic range and depth.

Why You'll Love It

• A rare co-planted parcel from 1923 that includes the heritage varieties Arbane and Petit Meslier, almost never seen in Champagne today.
• Aromas of dried orchard fruit, quince, and white flowers, with a hint of cardamom spice.
• A layered, textured palate where no single grape dominates, giving the wine a complexity all its own.
• A long, chalky finish driven by Bouzy’s deep mineral soils and natural acidity.
• A collector’s Champagne and a fascinating conversation piece for any dinner table.

How To Serve It

• Serve chilled between 48 and 52°F.
• Decant for about 15 minutes, or pour early, to let the field-blend aromatics open up.
• All-purpose white wine stems will capture its expansive floral and spice perfume far better than flutes.
• Pair with roasted turbot in beurre blanc, veal sweetbreads with morels, or a mature alpine cheese like Beaufort.