Location and History
Champagne Albert Levasseur is based at 6 rue du Sorbier in Cuchery in France, in the Regional Natural Park Montagne de Reims. The estate cultivates 4.20 hectares in 18 plots in Cuchery, Châtillon-sur-Marne and Fleury-la-Rivière.
In the 1990s, David Levasseur gradually took over the knowledge and family tradition from his father and worked independently from 2003.
Vineyards and Farming
The estate describes its farming as sustainable and monitors the vineyard plots using computer-aided systems. Partial ground cover is maintained, and organic fertilisers are used.
The Chardonnay plots for Blanc de Terroir are trained using the Chablis method. The Pinot Noir plots for Noir de Terroir receive the Cordon method; for the plot in Cuchery, the Chablis method is also specified.
Cuvées and Grape Varieties
Rue du Sorbier comes from the oldest plot of the estate, which was laid out in 1973 at the Lieu-dit Les Gautelleries in Cuchery. The blend is 80% Meunier, 15% Pinot Noir and 5% Chardonnay. The cuvée is made in Brut and Brut Nature.
Blanc de Terroir is a single-variety Chardonnay from the L’Olivière and Les Chemins de Champlat plots in Cuchery. The vines are grown on mid-slope hillside sites; the producer classifies the cuvée as Blanc de Blancs and Extra-Brut. Noir de Terroir is a single-variety Pinot Noir from La Fontinette in Châtillon-sur-Marne and L’Olivière in Cuchery and is classified as Blanc de Noirs and Extra-Brut.
Cellar Maturing
The wines are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, with grape varieties, training methods and plots processed separately. For Rue du Sorbier Brut, 75% of wines from the current vintage are blended with 25% reserve wines and then matured on the lees for 25 months. The Brut Nature version receives no added sugar and matures on the lees for 36 months.
Noir de Terroir is vinified in small tanks; after racking off the natural deposit, it is transferred, fermented fully malolactically and bottled without filtration or cold treatment.
