I admire the range of boutique producers in Champagne. Lucien Leclerc founded the winery with four hectares of vineyards in Cumières in 1872. The business moved to Épernay in 1955 when Bertrand Leclerc married Jacqueline Briant and formed the négociant firm which still carries their name.
Leclerc Briant began its organic practices beginning in the 1960’s and helped pioneer the idea behind single-vineyard Champagne beginning in the 1970’s. Fifth generation vigneron, Pascal Leclerc began following biodynamic principles in 1988, with part of the production Demeter certified since 2003. Today, enologist Hervé Jestin serves as vigneron.
La Croisette is the home vineyard of Leclerc Briant, a 0.6 -hectare plot adjacent to the winery in Épernay, planted in 1966 to Chardonnay. Remarkably, this vineyard has never been treated with herbicides or pesticides. The remaining 9.6 hectares of vineyard are spread between the Premier Cru villages of Cumières, Hautvillers, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Bisseuil in the Vallée de la Marne, Villers-Allerand and Rilly la Montagne in Montagne de Reims and in the Grand Cru villages of Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs.
I greatly admired the new Champagnes by Hervé Jestin, who has been at the helm since 2008. His NV ‘Premier Cru Extra Brut’ Champagne (OB, 92) is a gorgeous blend of mostly Pinot Noir thats comes off big and round with a plump sense of mouthfeel and wonderful tension. The best wine I sampled is the seriously good and novel, 100% Chardonnay 2015 Leclerc Briant ‘Zero Dosage La Croisette’ Champagne (OB,95), displaying dazzling minerality and gobs of citrus oil and salty flavors. This generous Champagne will live on for another twenty years. Learn more about this great house in Champagne at http://leclercbriant.fr and here are my new reviews of the latest releases from Leclerc Briant.
NV Leclerc Briant ‘Reserve Brut’ Champagne- Given 4.5 G/L dosage, the Leclerc Briant ‘Reserve Brut’ Champagne was disgorged in April 2021. Biscuit and Shitaake mushrooms combine with pink grapefruit blossom on this beautifully fragrant nose. Fresh and racy, this delivers Key lime zest and ginger flavors alongside a good sense of astringency and salty undertones on the palate. Enjoy this refined style of Brut Champagne over the next seven years. Drink 2022-2029- 90
NV Leclerc Briant ‘Premier Cru Extra Brut’ Champagne- The gorgeous Leclerc Briant ‘Premier Cru Extra Brut’ Champagne is an elegant blend of 70% Pinot Noir with equal parts Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, with the base vintage being 2015. Disgorged in May 2021, this reveals roasted hazelnut with lemon zest dusted brioche aromatics that all dance in unison. The palate is polished with a silky mousse, displaying refined bubbles with ripe citrus fruits, marzipan and hints of guava. The dense sense of mouthfeel adds to the enjoyment as this is best enjoyed over the next ten years. Drink 2022-2032- 92
NV Leclerc Briant ‘Brut Rose’ Champagne- The NV Leclerc Briant ‘Brut Rose’ Champagne comes out of the bottle revealing a deep salmon hue. Very fine bubbles greet you in this 4.5G/L dosage Rose, with 2017 as its base vintage. Kumquat peel, sour red raspberry and pomegranate seed flavors that mingle with saline drenched pear on the palate. Enjoy this fresh and invigorating style of Rose over the next seven plus years. Drink 2022-2029- 91
2014 Leclerc Briant ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne- Focused and showing good weight from the vintage, the 2014 Leclerc Briant ‘Extra Brut’ Champagne offers plenty of ripe pear and brioche tones alongside shades of candied ginger and lighter white flowers. The smooth mousse and downright awesome texture to the wine both accentuate this refined style of vintage Champagne. Drink 2022-2036- 93
2015 Leclerc Briant ‘Zero Dosage La Croisette’ Champagne- The top wine out of this lineup, the brilliant 2015 Leclerc Briant ‘Zero Dosage’ Champagne is crafted from a 1.5 acre vineyard set on clay and loamy soils, adjacent the winery in Épernay. “La Croisette" is the name of a little pathway near the winery that overlooks Épernay as this 100% Chardonnay Champagne was aged in 10 months in a combination of oak barrels and terra cotta eggs, and then minimum of 24 to 36 months sur lattes. Dense orchard and melon fruits greet you aromatically, with salty soils and shades of white rose water. The palate is concentrated and intense with gobs of white grapefruit oil, salted sourdough bread and ripe Japanese pear flavors that combine with nutty undertones. Complex and very delicious now, this has both the weight and finesse to cellar well over the next two decades. Drink 2022-2040- 95