NV Jean-Pierre Launois Brut Champagne 750 ml

The Grower Champagne Master Sommeliers Love

Julien Launois’s roots in Mesnil-sur-Oger are deep, just like the vines. For decades his father tended vines with meticulous care in this region, one of only 17 Grand Cru villages in Champagne, home to Blanc de Blancs legends like Salon and Krug’s Clos du Mesnil. As with many farmers, he then turned over his pristine fruit to a local cooperative for vinification.

When Julien took up his father’s business, he made the bold decision to become, like many of Champagne’s elite producers, a récoltant-manipulant. Rather than hand over his precious Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, he’d transform the grapes into golden, bubbly wines himself.

The decision has proven a wise one, landing this creamy, chalk-infused grower Champagne by-the-glass placements on the wine list at the French Laundry (under their own unique label), and at Napa’s award-winning Compline. Take that pedigree into account, along with the fact that the owner’s vineyard is based in the famed Mesnil-sur-Oger—the mecca for Champagne’s most mineral wines—and you might think our $40 price is a misprint.

When we tasted this bottle alongside a half-dozen other Champagnes, some of which were triple the price, this NV effort won out as our favorite, seducing us with its aromas of fennel, pear, and caramelized apple richness on the palate. Crafted by a third-generation grower, this is top-notch bubbly that’s perfect for restocking the cellar by the case.

Bearded, wiry, and muscular with bright, laughing eyes, Julien is surely one of the most exciting young winemakers to watch in the region, bursting with new ideas while hewing closely to tradition when it comes to techniques. This NV Brut Tradition is meant to showcase those traditions, but only in small quantities. Just 400 cases were produced, and we’re one of the few online retailers who don’t have the words “Sold Out” posted next to the wine—not yet, anyway.

The grapes in the Brut Tradition are half Chardonnay, half Pinot Noir. Following twelve hours of cold soaking, fermentation occurred in stainless steel. The base wines saw malolactic fermentation and extended lees contact before assemblage. Julien hand-riddles all bottles personally and disgorges in the old-fashioned à la volée method, known as “flying disgorgement,” also employed by Bollinger.

The result is a stunning, toasty bubbly that Master Sommeliers have fallen in love with, and  remains one of the greatest $40 Champagnes on the market. Don’t wait for our tiny allocation to dwindle.