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P. Lancelot-Royer, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

Champagne / Côte des Blancs, France 2011 (750mL)
$79.00
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P. Lancelot-Royer, Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

Experiencing a vintage bottling of Lancelot-Royer isn’t just a rare occurrence, it’s among the most evocative and luxurious examples of Grand Cru Cramant one can ever hope to obtain. This is the hallowed village that Champagne enthusiasts turn to when seeking out powerfully chiseled, mineral-loaded Chardonnay with extreme longevity, and Champagne traditionalist Lancelot-Royer is one of its superstar micro-growers. Why? Michel Chauvet only farms 12 hectares here—all of it 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay—and remains one of the last bastions of handcrafted artisanship in the cellar.
Michel has dedicated a quarter-century to the painstaking rigors of tradition: For this extraordinary 2011 bottling, there were no assisted fermentations, no shortcuts during its seven years of cellar aging, and no machines to riddle or disgorge each bottle. So you can open this special gem knowing that it was in the gnarled hands of the vigneron/winemaker/farmer every step of the way, making it legitimate farm-to-table Grand Cru Champagne. We were so enamored with this long-aged masterpiece that we snatched up every single bottle afforded to us (hardly any). As it turns out, that’s all that trickled into America: To our knowledge, we are the only retailer with access to Lancelot-Royer’s 2011 Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, and we cannot wait for you to get your hands on a few bottles. 
I love that some of today’s trendiest winemaking accessories are the kinds of tools one might have used in the 1800s: an imposing draft horse for plowing vineyards; a cow’s horn for burying biodynamic mixtures in the soil; or maybe an old, wooden grape press. Just as there are still bespoke tailors and custom furniture-makers out there, there are still plenty of winemakers—a growing number, actually—who are determined to do as much as possible by hand. That has been Michel Chauvet’s unwavering mission at Lancelot-Royer for 24 years and counting. 

Perhaps his only allowances to modernity are his stainless steel fermentation vessels, which line the damp, chisel-marked walls of their old, subterranean cellar. The hand-harvested fruit is pressed by hand in an upright, wooden press, then fermented using only indigenous yeasts. Today’s 2011 aged a total of seven years on lees, was riddled and disgorged by hand, and received an eight-gram dosage. The wine, which you may have already guessed, is unfined, unfiltered, and hand-labeled. Since the cork was inserted, it has rested 15 additional months in bottle. 
 
Lancelot-Royer’s 2011—their current release, with the ‘12 starting to appear in Europe—displays an ebullient network of bubbles that dart through a straw-yellow core and burst into a fine mousse. As always, these exceedingly authentic wines showcase the opulence and mineral precision of Grand Cru Cramant. Within moments, seductive notes of honeysuckle, yellow apple skin, white peach, pineapple core, acacia, citrus blossoms, lemon curd, hazelnuts, marzipan, chalk, and crushed oyster shell envelop your senses. It’s intensely layered with crushed minerals, electrifying fruit, and herculean power that the Côte des Blancs has become famous for. There’s a reason this thin strip of land has been elevated into the upper echelon of Grand Cru Chardonnay royalty: This is ground zero for some of the most savory,  terroir-infused, luxuriously powerful Champagne, and Lancelot-Royer’s 2011 is a prime example. As always with Champagnes of this magnitude, proper glassware is crucial. Avoid tall, thin flutes and reach for a flared tulip or an all-purpose white wine stem. When consuming, let this mineral-rich sparkler rise hover around 50-55 degrees, and if you have an adequate cellar, save a couple of bottles for 2022-2030. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Champagne / Côte des Blancs
Sub-Region
FranceCramant Grand Cru
Soil
Chalk
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol
13.0
TEMP.
50-55
Glassware
Flared Tulip or All-Purpose Stem
Drinking
Now-2030
Pairing
Lemon Pappardelle w/ Scallops

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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