Champagne Brut Nature
Les Crayères 2021

The Champagne Les Crayères by Marguet represents the purest and most profound expression of the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, in the Montagne de Reims, where the Domaine’s vines, planted in 1958 and 1974, grow in the eponymous plot on clay-limestone soil resting on Campanian craie blanche, which surfaces just 35 centimetres below ground. It is precisely this extraordinary closeness to the chalk that gives the wine a vibrant mineral tension and an unmistakable chalky finesse, a faithful reflection of the biodynamic and holistic vision through which Benoît interprets the vineyard in the name of respect, vital energy and absolute transparency.

This edition, Vintage 2021, comes from a complex and demanding year, marked by April frosts, a cool and rainy summer and strong disease pressure, which drastically reduced yields but gave wines of great freshness, bright acidity and moderate alcohol. A Blanc de Blancs made solely from Chardonnay grapes grown in these historic vines, the wine undergoes spontaneous vinification and fermentation in oak barrels, without fining or filtration, followed by around ten months of maturation. After tirage comes ageing on the lees for a minimum of 40 months, and the wine is finished with no final dosage, in Brut Nature style, to enhance its purity, tension and mineral energy.

On tasting, Les Crayères 2021 opens on the nose with notes of white grapefruit, lemon zest and green apple, woven with hints of wet stone, chalk and sea breeze, while with air dried white flowers, fresh almond and delicate toast emerge. On the palate it is taut and electric, supported by a fine, silky bead and a saline texture that carries an incisive yet perfectly integrated acidity, in a precise balance between structure and drive. The dry, vibrant finish offers a long, mineral persistence that leads clearly back to the chalk of Ambonnay. Production in a limited run of 1,774 bottles.