A Champagne Dinner with Vincent Laval
9/30/13 -
(Vincent Laval and healthy soils in Cumières.)
Over the past few years Champagne grower Vincent Laval of Domaine Georges Laval has ascended to a place of prominence in our hearts and minds. Georges Laval (Vincent’s father) converted to organic viticulture in the early 1970s and the estate continues to be one of only a few in Champagne to be certified organic. Though under-the-radar, we think of Laval as a paradigm for low intervention, soulful, yet pristine winemaking in the region. Laval’s wines almost always find balance without dosage, as grapes flourish and ripen in healthy soil. The base wines are raised in barrel, giving them a vinosity that marries beautifully with their intense minerality and high acidity. Vincent, second generation vigneron at this tiny, very special Domaine is not only a super winemaker but an incredibly kind and generous man. Despite that his Domaine is less than three hectares, and that he makes perhaps 10,000 bottles of wine a year, his cellar is open (if you can find it) and he shares the fruits of his labor with a smile. Please join us at 7pm on Tuesday, October 22nd for a four course dinner at Mas La Grillade with Vincent and a selection of his wines. We’ll be pouring 2008, 2009, and 2010-base 1er Cru Cumières, Vincent’s unique foot-stomped Rosé, as well as two of his stunning single vineyard bottlings: 2006 Les Chênes and 2005 Les Hautes-Chèvre. (Fare includes four courses, wine, tax, and gratuity.) We hope to see you there. Santé! -Sophie
