Winegrowers’ portraits Bethon
Champagne Le Brun de Neuville
good progress for the princes of sezanne
The projects have become real. The surface area of the vineyard has been increased. In the name of wine tourism, the head offices of Béthon have been reorganized and the activities for the tourists diversified. The brand enriched with new cuvees and improved thanks to new packagings. The 2014 harvest allies prosperity and quality!
The champagne Le Brun de Neuville has just celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and looks very good. This year the domain grew from 145 up to 150 hectares, still in the heart of the area of Sézannes. This vineyard with hillsides facing north planted with 88% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Noir is now covered with grass and tidy. And the vinification is undertaken according to the grape variety, the village of production (7 in total), the exposure of the hill, the age of the vine, and the farming method, to increase the pallet of still wines, refine the blends, better translate this or this cru, and really propose terroir wines.
Sales at the shop and by mail order represent on average 20% of the turnover of Champagne. To attract visitors, Fabien Morane, sales manager, has concluded many partnerships in the surroundings, especially with the medieval city of Provins, and soon with the Camille Claudel Museum in Nogent sur Seine. He reorganized the reception with several small lounges that can host groups and individuals, and fitted out a beautiful terrace planted with tress to have a drink in summer.
Fabien Morane with his two cuvées that meet great success: Authentiques by Champagne Le Brun de Neuville.
New service in 2014, Fabien has created a real tour circuit. Great professionals like Geoffrey Orban or Caroline Brun host lessons. They present the vineyard, the grape varieties, the chalky terroir. They explain the Champagne making methods with pictures. They teach you how to taste like a professional, at the bar. Three or four cuvées are on the programme (€19 one hour lesson with three cuvées for tasting). A continuous projection of films about Champagne offers the spectator an overall view of the region. The groups will conclude with a visit of the cellar.
The individuals will be very interested by a specialized bookshop about Champagne and the region. Albums with the most beautiful panoramas, historical books about the region, all are available at the entrance of the Champagne shop.
Under the brand Le Brun de Neuville, some ten cuvées are displayed. As Fabien explains,
“the cuvée ‘Authentique Assemblage’ composed of 70% Chardonnay out of which 5% matured in oak barrel, and 30% Pinot Noir added with 5% reserve wines, aged in corked bottles at least 4 years, crafted with about 20 crus of the area of Sézannes, meets since last year such a success that we have produced a replica ‘Authentique Blanc de Blancs’ 100% Chardonnay of Sézannes stemming from twenty plots mingling young vines, vigorous vines and old vines with a strong concentration of aromas, on a 2008 basis, bottled in 2009 with 12% of reserve wines”. This cuvee is aged in corked bottles like in the XIXth century with a stopper and a staple. Ethereal and moreish, this Blanc de Blancs at perfect maturity will match fish and meat dishes like medium-rare scallops with roasted hazelnuts; or a fillet of pike-perch and glazed salsifies and nutmeg …
The atmosphere here is placed under the sign of modernity and serenity, the 2014 harvest was prolific and of great quality, the cooperative has collected 2,118,000kg, i.e. 20% more than last year. The Chardonnays were beautiful and had 10.25° alcohol and 8.3g acidity. Will it be declared vintage?
Marie-Caroline Bourrellis
Le Brun de Neuville
Route de Chantemerle
51260 BETHON
Tél. : +33 (0)3 26 80 48 43
www.lebrundeneuville.fr
