Since ten generations, the Legras family plough their nourishing land of Chouilly, at the heart of the Côte des Blancs area. Wine grower Pierre Legras was born there in 1662, grew vines and produced grapes to elaborate still wines in Louis XIV's time. Faithful to his lineage, to his village, his descendant Vincent Legras naturally develops today Champagnes of terroir and character.
The village of Chouilly in the Côte des Blancs area, fiefdom of the Chardonnay, count more than two hundred wine growers. The Legrases are half a dozen to be well-established. Vincent Legras and his wife Marcelline, managers of Champagne Pierre Legras, are proud of their soil, classed Grand Cru, with hillsides facing east and sheltered from the western wind. Both are driven by a passion they try to transmit to their children.
As soon as they took over the estate, they doubled the surface area. Their father transmitted them 5 ha at Chouilly, they acquired five others: two in Chouilly and three others in Epernay, Moussy, Vinay and Boursault. “We can count on one hand the estates of Chouilly over 10 ha”, Vincent explains. Aware of their luck, the couple also invested in winemaking and technical buildings and equipped them with a press, a vathouse and a cellar. In brief they gave themselves the means to produce terroir Champagnes.
Their Blanc de Blancs from Chouilly is very appreciated in France and abroad and is awarded magnificent distinctions. This Champagne is exclusively elaborated with the heart of the cuvée, and is a blend of several plots and vintages. With citrus fruits and white flower, this very attractive wine proves to be swiftly moreish and salty, and for a long time. “The soil makes the difference, Vincent confirms, provided the vineyard is managed in a sustainable way and the winemaking is meticulous”. Vincent is respectful about tradition: “The progress made over decades must not be sacrificed. It is necessary to search for the best, to limit inputs in the soil, use selected yeasts, minimize sulphites, in short, respect the vineyard and the wine”.
To refine even more the notion of terroir, Vincent Legras commenced plot selection. He identified about thirty plots of land on his estate and some of them are close to perfection thanks to their divine expression. For instance, “Les Partelaines”, locality at the edge of the village on the road to Epernay, where in the old days sheep crossed the thorny shrubs and left some wool [laine]. This very poor soil gives Champagne with a great fineness and a beautiful ageing capacity; it will be marketed after 2016. And Mont Aigu also is to come …
A beautiful philosophy, ambitious projects and an extremely kind welcome should incite you to visit Champagne Pierre Legras (by appointment).
Marie-Caroline Bourrellis
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