Intense straw yellow with an elegant, fine mousse.
Nose
Red and yellow apples, must and cellar apples with skin, alongside orange zest, kumquats, mirabelles, red berries, hay, stone, petrichor and fresh country bread crust.
Palate
Complex and precisely structured with open, inviting fruit, fine mousse and ripe acidity offering just the right tension; deep, dense and long with the finest autolytic notes and fitting spice.
Character
A superbly balanced, profound Champagne with length and density, marrying the juicy fruit of Meunier with the chalky structure of the Ludes terroir.
Pairing
Roasted poularde with morels, game terrine with apple compote, aged Comté.
Notes
From the single vineyard site La Grosse Pierre with vines over 55 years old on chalk soils with a fine clay layer; 18 months’ maturation in 600-litre oak casks, stored under natural cork until April 2025, only 1,956 bottles with a minimal dosage of 1.2 grams.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Intense straw yellow, threaded with a fine, elegant mousse that rises persistently in the glass.
Nose
An aromatic profile that stands clearly apart from its Pinot and Chardonnay siblings: red and yellow apples, alongside freshly pressed and cellar apples with their skins. Orange zest and kumquats meet mirabelles and red berries; behind them lie foliage, hay, stone and the earthy hint of petrichor – rounded off by the aroma of fresh country bread crust.
Palate
Complex and clearly structured. The fruit is open and inviting, with a slightly exotic touch. The mousse remains fine, while the acidity feels ripe yet provides precisely the necessary tension. A deep, dense Champagne with delicate autolytic notes and fitting spice – balanced, without ever feeling heavy.
Finish
Long and dense, carried by ripe acidity and a spicy, almost saline persistence that impressively reflects the 2019 vintage.
Terroir & origin
The plot La Grosse Pierre lies in Ludes, a Premier Cru village on the eastern edge of the Montagne de Reims. The chalk soil is covered by a very fine layer of clay – a subsoil that lends Meunier both depth and tension. Here, vines aged over 55 years are tended by Pierre Huré, who oversees the family estate’s ten hectares in Ludes and Villedommange.
Grape variety & vinification
Pure Pinot Meunier from a single vintage and a single plot – the guiding principle of the 4-éléments series. After fermentation, the wine matured for 18 months in demi-muids (600-litre oak casks), with malolactic fermentation prevented. Ageing on the lees took place under natural cork until disgorgement in April 2025. Dosage: just 1.2 grams – Extra Brut in the truest sense. Only 1,956 bottles were produced.
Food recommendations
The apple and citrus fruit, together with the bread-crust spice, call for roasted country duck with orange jus, mature Comté or a porcini risotto. It also makes an exciting match with tuna sushi or crispy fried chicken.
Special features
The 2019 vintage was a tour de force: 20 °C in February, late frosts in April, and two heatwaves reaching up to 43 °C in July. Yields were low, yet acidity and sugar levels were near ideal at harvest. That such a cool, precise Champagne could emerge from this extreme year speaks volumes for old vines, assured winemaking and the philosophy of letting a single grape variety and terroir speak without the mask of assemblage.
