Champagne Georges Laval ‘Cumières’ Premier Cru Brut Nature NV

Location: France, Champagne, Cumiéres

Winemaker: Vincent Laval

Grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay

Disgorged: 4/25/23

Soil: Chalky limestone, clay

Winemaking: Low sulfur vinification and aging, unfined/unfiltered. Fermented with indigenous yeasts.

From us at M&L: ‘Cumières’ is a non-vintage champagne with zero dosage, fermented in barrel. Crispy fine bubble that coats the mouth, balsam, baked apple, wet earth. Very limited production (Vincent only releases 10,000 bottles a year).

The Laval family has been cultivating vines for four generations, but it was only in 1971 that Georges Laval began estate bottling. His son Vincent joined in 1991 after completing his wine education and has managed the cellars since 1996. The current Laval estate encompasses 2.5 hectares spread across the premier cur village of Cumières, with the vines ranging between 30 and 70 years old. He uses organic compost, cover crop for all holdings, and tilling to encourage the roots to grow deeper. Vincent never uses chaptalization, harvesting his grapes at full ripeness and bottled late without fining, filtering, or cold-stabilization.