NV Juillet-Lallement Brut Selection Grand Cru Champagne 750 ml

Nearly 20,000 growers farm Champagne’s gently sloping hills. Around a quarter of them produce estate-grown wines. But only 28 are worthy of the Club de Trésors (“Club of Treasures”), while just 15 are members of the Grands Crus d'Exception de Champagne—two of the region’s most exclusive and prestigious grower organizations.

Juillet-Lallement is in both. With just under ten acres of precious Grand Cru vines, the family-owned estate is one of Champagne’s most esteemed grower-producers, and their Brut Selection is a stunning portrait of their sustainably farmed vineyards.

The husband-and-wife team of Jean and Virginie Lallement crafted this vibrant wine with Grand Cru grapes from Verzy—mid-slope on the Montagne de Reims hill—as well as flatter vineyards in Sillery. Made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, it’s a richer style of Champagne with breadth, complexity, and a fresh approachability.

Aromas of yellow apple, quince, yellow flowers, and brioche rise with the Champagne’s superfine bubbles, and the palate reveals biscuit with concentrated apple, pear, and citrus notes. The finish is suave and delicate, laced with fruit and chalk, while a modest dosage rounds out the mouthfeel.

Many Champagne houses source grapes from specialized growers, but as a grower-producer, Juillet-Lallement does the farming themselves. They apply their focus from the fields to the cellar, drawing an unbroken line between the vineyard and the glass.

Those vineyards lie in two highly coveted villages. Verzy’s north-facing, Pinot-dominated slopes have attracted the likes of Bollinger and Roederer, while Sillery has drawn the eyes of Moët & Chandon and Ruinart—whose winemaker likened the village’s powerful, structured Chardonnay to that of Corton Charlemagne. Juillet-Lallement has woven together those terroirs in a rich yet bright, wholly irresistible Brut.