Millesime 2020 Premier Cru Extra Brut 2020

Wine description for Millesime 2020 Premier Cru Extra Brut 2020 by Lacourte-Godbillon

Colour & appearance

Pale straw yellow, bright and clear – a Champagne of quiet elegance whose fine bead exudes calm even in the glass.

Nose

Ripe, pale fruit: lemon and lemon sorbet, alongside kumquats, delicate herbs and red as well as blue berries. White flowers and a hint of pâtisserie with a subtle caramel note complete the picture – a bouquet that is at once youthfully fresh and astonishingly deep.

Palate

Juicy, dense and aromatically concentrated. The pale fruit meets a clear, delicate acid structure; the mousse is fine and elegant, the texture reminiscent of sorbet – seemingly sweet yet without any sweetness whatsoever, as it was dosed at zero grams. Tension without hardness.

Finish

Fresh, linear and long – the limestone of Écueil leaves a saline trace that cleanses the palate and keeps it alert.

Terroir & origin

The vines stand in the Premier Cru villages of Écueil and Les Mesneux in the heart of the Petite Montagne de Reims, on sand and light clay soils. The estate cultivates 8.5 hectares in its ninth generation; Géraldine and Richard gave up their Parisian careers in 2006 to take over the family property – Demeter-certified since 2020. Incidentally, a small wood above the village supplies the oak for the casks in the cellar: wood from their own terroir.

Grape variety & vinification

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay – a balanced assemblage for the 2020 vintage. The base wine matured for nine months, 60% of it in wooden foudres. Bottled in July 2021, disgorged on 23 January 2026 with 0 g/l dosage – effectively Brut Nature, pure and unadorned.

Food recommendations

The taut, undosed style calls for precision on the plate: oysters, sole in lemon butter, langoustine tartare or fresh goat’s cheese. It also shows real stature alongside sushi or a simple chicken with herbs.

Special features

A vintage Champagne from a biodynamically certified Premier Cru estate, bottled entirely without dosage – which demands grapes of genuine ripeness, and that is precisely what 2020 delivered. Anyone seeking great Champagnes beyond the grandes marques will find them here: depth without frills, origin without a mask.