Champagne La Closerie Grand Cru Extra-Brut

You know that smile the cat in Alice in Wonderland has when he's dreaming up something devious? That's the size of grin that spread over Jess' face when she unpacked these bottles from their box. While this is a hot take, I [Jess] find that Champagne over $100 just doesn't tend to impress me more than Champagne at $80... except Jérôme's. He is part of a small but powerful coalition of tiny producers making intense, terroir-transparent Champagnes. Rather than follow the traditional Champagne model of blending grapes, vintages, and vineyards to produce a "standardized" product, Jérôme and his fellow "Champagne Renegades" produce terroir-specific bottlings primarily dedicated to one grape and one vintage. This Champagne comes from a two hectare parcel known as Les Béguines which he inherited from his grandmother, who grew up on the same road in the Montagne de Reims village of Gueux. While a single vintage dominates, Jérôme tends to blend in 10-15% reserve wines. Don't sleep on this!!

We love it with… oysters, korean food, french fries

Type: Sparkling
Vintage: 2023
Size: 750mL
ABV: 12.5%
Grape: 100% Pinot Meunier
Region: Gueux, Montagne de Reims, Champagne, France
Vinification: