Le Terroir Verzy Grand Cru Extra Brut L22/21 1500ml Magnum

Le Terroir is the cuvée that tells the story of the village of Verzy most completely: an equal blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Extra Brut with a dosage of 0.8 g/l. In Magnum format, the Champagne matures more slowly, giving it depth and staying power.

All the grapes grow in Verzy, one of the 17 villages in Champagne classified as Grand Cru, on the wooded northern arc of the Montagne de Reims. The subsoil is pure, belemnite-rich chalk, cool and water-retentive; hence the saline tension in the glass. Adrien Renoir, now in the fourth generation, farms five hectares exclusively in Verzy; the vines were planted between 1961 and 1971.

The Pinot Noir provides body and red fruit, while the Chardonnay from the highest sites lends freshness. The base wines ferment spontaneously with their own yeasts, increasingly in neutral oak foudre rather than in steel tank. Around a fifth of the 2021 reserve wine comes from foudre, with the 2022 vintage forming the base – hence the code L22/21. After extended lees ageing, the wine is disgorged without added sulphur. The estate has been organic-certified since 2020, with herbicides phased out as early as 2015. 13.0% vol.

Pale golden yellow with a fine, persistent bead. On the nose, Nashi pear, green apple and quince, alongside honey, fresh pastry and a chalky note. The entry is saline and mineral, the acidity lively, the core concentrated and tightly woven, the finish bone-dry.

To start, oysters and scallops, for the main course grilled turbot or poulet de Bresse, and to finish an aged Comté.

A mono-cru from a single Grand Cru village, bottled in the 1500 ml Magnum.