Highlights: Champagne Lallier Réflexion R.019
Website: https://champagne-lallier.com/en/
Lallier recently became the first Italian-owned Champagne house when they were bought by Campari. They also hired Dominique Demarville as Chef du Cave. Top jobs for the leading chef du caves don’t come around very often, and Demarville (who had worked at Mumm Perrier Jouët and then Veuve Clicquot from 2006-2019, before a very brief stint of less than a year running Laurent Perrier) was looking for a job. This wine pre-dates him, although he’d have overseen bottling, and it’s really impressive.
Champagne Lallier Réflexion R.019 Brut NV France
12.5% alcohol. Dominique Demarville is the new chef du cave at Lallier, which is based in Aÿ, and although he wasn’t involved in the initial stages of making this wine, it’s a beautifully balanced young Champagne. This is 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay, and the vast majority is from the 2019 vintage. Disgorged March 2022 with a dosage of 8 g/litre. This is fruit driven with delicate lemon, mandarin and red cherry notes, as well as a touch of green apple. There’s a good acid line, nicely countered by some sweetness from the dosage, and the overall impression is of purity and lovely fruit. 92/100
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