Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot

Vrigny, Montagne de Reims, France

Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot dates back to 1799, an eighth-generation winery in the Premier Cru village of Vrigny on the rolling slopes of the Montagne de Reims. They’re a true family operation, led by parents Dominique Lelarge and Dominique Pugeot and their children, Clémence and Valentin. Beginning in 2000, Dominique suspended the use of chemicals and over the last two decades has transitioned into a biodynamic poly-farm that eschews mono-cropping, championing biodiverse perma-culture and cover crops between the rows and the interspersed planting of numerous other foods including peach, apple, cherry, plum, and almond trees. Their remarkable Champagnes are very much crafted in the vineyard.

The family’s 8.7 hectares of vineyards include a significant proportion of Pinot Meunier, the specialty of Vrigny in the traditionally Pinot Noir driven Montagne de Reims. Lelarge-Pugeot’s command of and privileging of this variety to the best sites is a signature of their domaine, revered flag bearers in this current Meunier renaissance. Moreover, Dominique’s vineyard’s largely face north. This was no help to his wine-farming ancestors but today the northern aspect has offered protection from the effects of global warming, maintaining a classical profile of textured acidity while rich in phenolic density. 

Lelarge-Pugeot has been certified organic since 2014 and Demeter-certified biodynamic since 2017, farming 42 distinct parcels of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay at elevations of roughly 400 ft (4.4 hectares of Meunier, 1.5 hectares of Chardonnay, and 2.8 hectares of Pinot Noir). Lelarge-Pugeot’s wines are styled in a minimalist fashion that brings a bright freshness teeming with energy while also delivering developed tertiary toasty and nougat nuances. This family is producing bubbles as juicy and immediately rewarding as they are age worthy. Truly distinct Champagne all around, earning The Independent’s Best Overall for their top Champagnes of 2021; even Prince Charles would agree.

• “Clémence Lelarge is the eighth generation in Vrigny, and she, along with her parents Dominique Pugeot (mom) and Dominique Lelarge (dad), has pushed this longtime Vrigny estate toward the avant-garde, with organics starting in 2010 and biodynamics a few years later. Today, horse plowing is used for a portion of their 9 hectares of vines. The work in the winery, though, along with Clémence's friendly evangelism, is what has attracted a following among the naturally minded crowd: indigenous yeast fermentations, increasing use of old wood, and almost no sulfur until the end of winemaking. Vrigny, like neighboring Gueux, has gained a reputation for the quality of its Pinot Meunier, which is highlighted here—namely with Les Meuniers de Clémence, a tight extra brut with cracker-like saltiness and bergamot flair. Les Charmes de Vrigny offers a broader picture of the village, with half Meunier plus Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, again with a crackery side but also leathery plum and candied grapefruit. The Blanc de Blancs offers a rare snapshot of Chardonnay from Vrigny on a sandier plot, with an oatmeal savor, while Nature comes from one of the horse-worked parcels, an ebullient expression of Meunier in its currant and charcoal aspects. Even more fun is the Blanc de Meuniers, a Blanc de Noirs Coteaux Champenois vinified in wood, which shows off both the grape's floral and red-fruit side as well as sweet lime and almond. It's the joyous wine you'd want from a village that leaves Christmas ribbons in its bushes through the end of January.” — Jon Bonné, The New French Wine, 2023