{"title":"Champagne Mouzon-Leroux... and some special pricing on vintage releases from Andre Beaufort","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe recently had the great pleasure of hosting Sébastien Mouzon from Champagne Mouzon-Leroux for our first in-store tasting of the year. Sébastien is energetic and good-humored, and nothing if not extremely passionate about the life of his soils, the biodiversity in his vineyards - especially through his practice of large-scale agro-forestry -and the honest expression of the Verzy terroir through his farming and his wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Sébastien Mouzon took the reigns at his 7 hectare family estate in Verzy, he decided to learn from the masters: Benoït Lahaye, and Vincent Laval. He converted to organic farming, and quickly expanded to biodynamic certification at the brisk clip of a young, passionate winemaker dedicated to making soulful, terroir-driven Champagnes. After spending time in Africa and learning about the concept of agro-forestry through coplanting trees and flowering bushes with other crops in order to encourage soil health and biodiversity, he fully embraced this approach and was the first vine-grower ever in Champagne (likely in France for that matter) to implement full-scale agro-forestry in his vineyards. He now has thousands of fruit trees and flowering bushes planted throughout his parcels. We asked him if we has considered crazy by his neighbors when he started tearing out vines to plant fruit trees in his plots, and he laughed and nodded. Apparently, they already thought he was crazy when he went organic (at the time in the early 2000s, it was extremely rare in Champagne)! He told us that his father would have torn out the trees if Sébastien planted them on a normal work day, so he went quietly on Sundays to do the work. By the time his father discovered trees throughout the vineyard, it was too late to rip them out or try to stop Sébastien! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving Sébastien at the shop provided a great opportunity to ask questions about his vision and intent with his wines. From discussing with him, it became very clear that his idea is to present wines that portray and represent the village of Verzy and the terroir of this particular spot. As seen on the map above, Verzy is located on slopes on the North-East side of the Montagne de Reims. Here, Sébastien explains, the chalk bedrock is on average about 2 meters below the top soil, which has some clay composition, providing enough richness for Pinot Noir to be well suited to the area. His wines are generally not parcel specific, as he wants them to provide a true picture of Verzy, not just one plot in Verzy. From what we could glean, he has somewhere between 60-80 tiny parcels in the area, and small amount of vines in the nearby village of Villers-Marmery that his grandfather planted to Pinot Noir - which is used for his \"L'Angelique\" Rosé. Wines are all barrel-fermented in large 10 year-old (on average) barrels. Fermentation is natural, with no SO2 applied during fermentation or aging. He is not afraid of or against the use of SO2, but only uses it if he senses problems arising in the wines, which he tastes at least once a month during aging. Since 2018, he has started to use his own yeasts, found in the winery and vineyards, for the second fermentation. He still often employs a percentage of classic Champagne yeast but has started to integrate different Mouzon-Leroux yeast strains that he hopes to fully rely on in the future. We might not have mentioned that the wines are fantastic! Mineral-driven, straight and focused, with depth and length, we have always been big fans of the Mouzon-Leroux wines, and they only seem to be getting better each year!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, we're offering the lineup of Champagnes that we tasted in the shop earlier this week, his entry level \"introduction to Verzy\" bottling, L'Atavique, the Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blancs bottlings, and his delicious and understated Rosé. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-------------------------------------\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe're also taking the opportunity, while on the subject of Champagne, to offer special sale-pricing on the end of stock from Champagne André Beaufort. Located in Ambonnay, directly south of Verzy on the South-east slopes of the Montagne de Reims, with vineyards in Ambonnay and Polisy, the Beaufort estate has been championed by Chambers Street for many years.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"beaufort-2000-polisy-brut-reserve-nature","title":"Beaufort, André 2000 Polisy Brut Reserve Nature","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Beaufort 2000 Polisy Brut Reserve Nature was disgorged for this order in September, 2024. \"\u003cem\u003eA boisterous, exuberant Champagne loaded with the essence of smoke, earthiness, ripe peaches and minerals. Today the wine comes across as rather young but the material is certainly there for it to develop into a splendid wine. Disgorged in 2008\u003c\/em\u003e\" - Vinous 2009\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fruit of the Vines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45830886818017,"sku":"18591","price":159.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"beaufort-2003-polisy-brut-reserve-nature","title":"Beaufort, André 2003 Polisy Brut Reserve Nature","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe current release is Brut Nature and was disgorged for this order in September of 2024 after 20 years of sur-lie aging.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fruit of the Vines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45830907166945,"sku":"18592","price":99.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"beaufort-2004-polisy-reserve-brut-nature","title":"Beaufort, André 2004 Polisy Reserve Brut Nature","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe current release of the 2004 Polisy Reserve is Brut Nature and was disgorged for this order in September of 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fruit of the Vines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45830907298017,"sku":"18593","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"beaufort-2006-polisy-brut-reserve","title":"Beaufort, André 2006 Polisy Brut Reserve","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe vintage Champagnes of Andre Beaufort are complex, full-bodied wines, fermented with wild yeasts and bottled after very long sur-lie aging. The 2006 Brut Reserve was disgorged in September 2024 after 17 years on the lees. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fruit of the Vines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45832658976993,"sku":"18595","price":79.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0602\/3790\/6145\/files\/BeaufortAndre2006PoilsyBrut-FB.jpg?v=1732229479"},{"product_id":"beaufort-2007-polisy-reserve-brut-nature","title":"Beaufort, André 2007 Polisy Reserve Brut Nature","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe vintage Champagnes of Andre Beaufort are complex, full-bodied wines, fermented with wild yeasts and bottled after very long sur-lie aging. The 2007 Brut Nature Reserve was disgorged in September 2024 after 16 years on the lees. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fruit of the Vines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45832660025569,"sku":"18596","price":74.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0602\/3790\/6145\/files\/Beaufort2007PolisyBrutNature-FB.jpg?v=1743106813"},{"product_id":"beaufort-2010-polisy-brut-nature-reserve","title":"Beaufort, André 2010 Polisy Brut Nature Reserve","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis new release of the 2010 Polisy Brut Nature was disgorged in September, 2024. The last tasting of this wine was of a 2017 disgorgement - it showed beautifully, youthful, complex and firmly structured - it should be lovely now and over the next ten years. \u003cem\u003eExtremely mineral on the nose without a huge leesy presence given it's age. Extremely bright with gobs of ripe fruit, savoury minerality and rich body perfect for game, pates, terrines and strong cheeses. A must for the dinner table! GH\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fruit of the Vines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45832670511329,"sku":"18598","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"mouzon-leroux-2016-lineffable-blanc-de-noirs-brut-nature-grand-cru-champagne","title":"Mouzon Leroux 2016 L'Ineffable Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature Grand Cru Champagne","description":"\u003cp\u003eL'Ineffable is all Pinot Noir from several plots in Verzy. Sébastien feels this wine presents a good picture of Pinot Noir from Verzy, where flint, silex and clay are mixed, producing soils that are generous enough for Pinot, but also highly influenced by stones and flint. The wine is chiseled and lean, perhaps atypical for a Blanc de Noirs, but not atypical for the wines of Mouzon-Leroux!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polaner Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46143744737505,"sku":"22328","price":99.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"mouzon-leroux-2017-langelique-blanc-de-blancs-extra-brut-grand-cru","title":"Mouzon Leroux 2017 L'Angelique Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru","description":"\u003cp\u003eSébastien Mouzon is a talented young winemaker who is enamoured of the work of Vincent Laval (Who wouldn't be?). After taking over his family's domaine in Verzy, he immediately stopped using chemicals. He is now certified organic, and biodynamic as well. We are very inspired by his passion and conviction that the best Champagne is born in the soil. L'Angelique is 100% Chardonnay, from all of his plots of Chardonnay in Verzy. Lean and earthy, with a long, mineral finish. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polaner Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46143744770273,"sku":"22329","price":99.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"mouzon-leroux-lincandescent-rose-de-saignee-brut-nature-base-2019","title":"Mouzon Leroux L'Incandescent Rose de Saignee Brut Nature (Base 2019)","description":"\u003cp\u003e100% Pinot Noir from 2019 from vineyards that Sébastien's grandfather planted closer to the village of Villers-Marmery, where the chalk is much more exposed than in Verzy. Sébastien's grandfather was tired of losing Chardonnay grapes to frost in their parcel in the first valley of the Montagne de Reims in Villers, so he planted Pinot Noir, which is less susceptible to frost. The fruit from this plot (with only 60cm of top soil before the chalk, vs. the average 2 meters of top-soil in Verzy) is used specifically for this Rosé bottling, which clearly shows the mineral intensity of the exposed chalk. Sébastien let this Rosé de Saignee macerate for 19 hours, after which it rested in the cellars on the lees until disgorgement in March 2023. He explained tha he tastes the wine every 2 hours during maceration, waiting for the ideal aromas. He is not interested in color, only aroma and taste. This wine is incredibly generous for 0 dosage, with plenty of fruit supported by electric acidity. An incredible rosé Champagne that is incredibly difficult to keep in the glass. -CF\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polaner Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46143744835809,"sku":"22330","price":64.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]}],"url":"https:\/\/chambersstwines.com\/collections\/champagne-mouzon-leroux.oembed","provider":"Chambers Street Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}