Champagne Jérôme Prévost Extra Brut La Closerie Les Béguines NV

La Closerie Les Béguines is a single-vineyard, single-harvest Champagne made almost entirely from Meunier.

Jérôme Prévost farms 2.2 hectares at Les Béguines, above Gueux on the western side of the Montagne de Reims, where Thanetian sands, clays and limestone lie over the chalk and yields come naturally low. He took the vines on in 1987, sold the fruit to négociants for a decade and made his first wine in 1998; from then until 2003 he worked out of Anselme Selosse's cellar at Avize before setting up his own. The vineyard was planted in the 1960s by massal selection and is co-planted, around 94 per cent Meunier with the balance in Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Fermentation runs on indigenous yeasts in barrels of 225 to 600 litres and varying age, with about ten months in wood, no racking, no filtration and no cold stabilisation. Each release is drawn from one harvest rather than a multi-vintage blend, and dosage at disgorgement is around two grams.

Ready on release and capable of several years in bottle. Serve at about 8°C as an aperitif, or with roast chicken, charcuterie or mushroom dishes.