Origin and history
Champagne Le Brun de Neuville is based in Bethon on the Côte de Sézanne in the Champagne region in France. The origins go back to 1963, when André Vandier, Frau de Reviers and 26 winegrowers founded the estate in Bethon La Crayère. Today, according to the house, almost 170 winegrowers form the Le Brun de Neuville family.
Vineyards and grape varieties
The vineyards lie on the slopes of the Côte de Sézanne. The vineyard soil there is made of chalk, consisting of calcite grains and, thanks to their high porosity, it stores water for the vines. Around 90 percent of the vines are planted with Chardonnay, about 11 percent with Pinot Noir. The house promotes sustainable viticulture and values grapes from biologically farmed, herbicide-free, ploughed as well as HVE- or Viticulture-Durable-en-Champagne-certified vineyards.
Style and cuvées
The range is based predominantly on Chardonnay and is complemented by Pinot Noir. A key feature is extended maturation on the lees. The range includes Blanc-de-Blancs Champagnes made from Chardonnay, including the Côte Blanche cuvée made with 100% Chardonnay.
Cellar work and ageing
The grapes are hand-picked and pressed and vinified according to grape variety, cru and vineyard practices. The first fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks or, for selected cuvées, in wooden barrels; for this, the house uses selected yeasts. Some reserve wines undergo no biological malolactic fermentation. Clear wines mature in stainless-steel tanks or in wooden barrels, before wines from different grape varieties, communes, vintages and soils are blended into cuvées. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle. After that, the wines age for at least four years on the lees in cellars around 15 metres deep; the autolysis cuvées remain on the lees for more than ten years. Riddling for standard bottles is carried out mechanically, while for large formats it is done manually on wooden riddling racks. After disgorging, the Champagnes return to the cellar for at least six months before being bottled, labelled and dispatched.
