NV Champagne Arlaux Premier Cru Brut Grande Cuvee NV 750 ml

Rich and Toasty Premier Cru Champagne

If Champagne Arlaux Premier Cru Brut Grande Cuvée still qualifies as an “under-the-radar” Champagne, it won’t for long: It has enjoyed prominent by-the-glass placement at NYC’s Bar Boulud ($24/glass), and was the subject of a glowing article by Florence Fabricant of The New York Times who called it “lively,” “lovely, straightforward and yeasty.” Grown on prime Premier Cru acres in the hamlet of Vrigny, a 15-minute drive west of the Gare de Reims, this bubbly owes its rich complexity to an extended 48 months aging on the lees (instead of Champagne’s mandated 15 months) and is then hand-disgorged to order. We have waited a long time to bring Arlaux to Wine Access clients. 800 bottles, freshly disgorged, at a jaw-dropping $39.00 per bottle. This is the Champagne we’ll be drinking all summer long. Won’t you join us?

With one handshake at Vinexpo in New York City earlier this year, we were able to close a deal years in the making: We finally scored an allocation of Champagne Arlaux. We had had our eye on the sensational grower Champagne from the Montagne de Reims ever since Michael Madrigale, our friend and Wine Enthusiast’s #1 Sommelier in America, poured it for us at NYC’s Bar Boulud. We loved it from the first sip — but like many of the wines Michael was laying claim to, there was not enough to go around. But when we tasted with the importers of Champagne Arlaux at the Javits Center in NYC this past March, we saw our chance.

Arlaux may be a little-known name here, but the family’s roots in Champagne run deep. They have been producing Champagne in the Montagne de Reims region since 1826. Situated in the Premier Cru village of Vrigny, Arlaux treats their Pinot Meunier-dominant blend in a way that is informed by the past, practicing lutte raisonnée — a strict, minimal use of sprays and a returned focus to biodiversity — on their vines, which average 35-40 years of age. The NV bottling of Champagne Arlaux is aged for a staggering four years on the lees, blowing past the minimum aging requirements even for vintage Champagne. In one final painstaking touch, Arlaux is disgorged to order à la volée — without freezing the neck of the bottle, as is common practice.

What results is a gorgeous, creamy Champagne, with hazelnut, lemon curd, and generous toast and brioche notes from the extended lees aging. This is the kind of Champagne that is usually claimed by diligent somms for their by-the-glass programs: An off-the-beaten-path, crowd-pleasing gem that delivers serious Premier Cru quality for the price. We were thrilled to finally bring an allocation of Champagne Arlaux to Wine Access clients — and the ones who take some home will be even happier.