Description
Vincent Laval's family has been in the village of Cumières for as long as the village started keeping records hundreds of years ago. Laval’s two hectares are in Cumières on the northern bank of the Marne, just a few kilometers west of Épernay. The vineyards face south/southeast, and receive ample sun exposure. Georges Laval converted the vineyards to organic in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Vincent’s approach in the cellar is hands-off: base wines ferment spontaneously in neutral barrel, and are treated with minimal sulfur. Laval bottles quite late, which means that he’s essentially made a finished wine before second fermentation begins. The wines are, almost without exception, bottled Brut Nature; however, the ripeness of the terroir in conjunction with impeccable farming mean that these wines find exquisite balance without dosage.
Garennes is a multi-vintage solera type blend featuring Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the villages of Chambrecy, Damery, Cumières and Hautvillers. 40% of this wine is 2015 Pinot Meunier from the village of Chambrecy, while the rest is Cumières Meunier with a little Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, from 2014, 2013 and 2011. Notes of minerals, pear and citrus in the nose lead into a wine with gorgeous balance and persistence. The sophisticated balance between precise mineral precision and fleshy texture make this a wine with few precedents in our experience.
