J. Lassalle 1er ‘Brut’ Champagne, FR
DESCRIPTION
Champagne J. Lassalle was founded in 1942 by Jules Lassalle in the village of Chigny-les-Roses in the Montagne de Reims region of Champagne. After Jules passed away in 1982, his wife, Olga, and their daughter, Chantal, took over running the domaine. In 2006, Chantal's daughter, Angéline Templier, joined them as winemaker. Together, these three tough and spirited women have taken Lassalle into the 21st century while maintaining many of the traditional methods started by Jules. They still use the same wooden basket press Jules installed over 50 years ago, and they hand riddle every bottle of their 8,400 case-production. The wines all go through malolactic fermentation (which gives them a nice richness) and they age for a minimum of 4 years on the lees before disgorgement.
The trio sustainably farms 45 parcels of vines across 11.5 hectares in Premier Cru and Grand Cru villages planted to 48% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 22% Pinot Noir. This Cachet Or is a blend of 1/3 each Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and is a lovely example of the gentle, more feminine toned Champagne Lassalle style.
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Jules Lassalle established this family-owned Champagne house in 1942 in the village of Chigny-LesRoses on the Montagne de Reims. A master of his craft, he established a signature style of elegant, tightly knit wines with a certain ampleur. When he passed away in 1982 his wife, Olga, and their daughter, Chantal Decelle-Lassalle, stepped in and took over the estate, upholding Jules’ high standards and progressively pushing the domaine to the next level. In 2006 Chantal’s daughter, Angéline Templier, joined the estate as winemaker. Their twenty-eight-year tradition of “une femme, un esprit, un style” (one woman, one spirit, one style) holds true today more than ever. In the 1970s, Kermit was the first to begin importing artisanal, grower Champagne, and the Lassalles have been in the KLWM portfolio longer than anyone. Today, we are proud that the relationship has continued into the third generation of the Lassalle family.
Champagne J. Lassalle works with all three varietals authorized in the region (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier) on sixteen hectares of vineyards, all of them premier cru. These tough, hardworking women continue to follow the vinification methods established by Jules in the forties: they use the same wooden basket press he installed in the winery over fifty years ago, pressing and vinifying the individual plots separately. It is one of the rare Champagnes that has been allowed to finish its malolactic fermentation, just like the great whites from the Côte d’Or, and all cuvées are aged extensively once in bottle—even the non-vintage cuvées, which are a minimum of five years old. This results in an astonishing complexity and depth from the beginning of their range up to the luxury cuvées. Don’t miss their Blanc de Blancs, sourced uniquely from premier cru Chardonnay grown on the Montagne de Reims. It is a classic vin de terroir that ages beautifully.