SUSTAINABLE FARMING
WINERY NOTES: What you discover with Lancelot-Royer Champagne is not only the purest expression of Chardonnay-based wine in the Côte des Blancs but also a work of vinous art that has been meticulously guided from grape to glass. Winemaker Michel Chauvet is one of the last artisans who chooses to craft his Champagne exclusively by hand, the way it was made in the early 1900s before machines replaced manual labor. Lancelot-Royer is certainly one of the smallest domaines in Champagne, yet this is a boon for a craftsman as dedicated to quality as is Chauvet. Each bottle is uncompromisingly faithful to the lemony delicacy that characterizes Cramant and the crystalline purity of the finest blanc de blancs wines.
All estate vineyards (12 acres) in Cramant are rated 100% Grand Cru and planted to Chardonnay, as is tradition in the Côte de Blancs. Soils are classic Kimmeridgian chalk."
The same lovely, lithe grand cru Chardonnay Champagne as the estate’s regular ‘Cuvée des Chevaliers,’ yet with no added dosage. What a thrill to taste the pure chalky soils of Cramant in every sip! Refined, lacy, sublime. Aromas of dried flowers, green apple, and yellow pear. Lemon and lemon zest, apple and stone fruit; lithe yet flavorfully complex.
Juice is fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks. Wines undergo a second fermentation in bottle (méthode Champenoise) and are aged on fine lees for four years, much longer than most non-vintage wines. Chauvet reserves nearly a third of each harvest as reserve wine, which contributes to the richness and complexity of his non-vintage cuvées. Wines are bottled by hand, unfined and unfiltered. Approximately 30% reserve wines. No added dosage.
VINOUS 91 POINTS - "Melds together the verve of the Côte des Blancs Chardonnay with an extra touch of vibrancy from the no dosage style, an approach that works beautifully here. Vivid and chiseled the cuvée des Chevaliers is naturally taut. But there is more than enough depth for the fruit to keep the wine from being austere."
WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "...delivers aromas of honeycomb, almond paste, crisp orchard fruit and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with bright acids and a fleshy core of fruit, it's seamless and nicely balanced. This is a fine effort that comes recommended."
WINERY NOTES: What you discover with Lancelot-Royer Champagne is not only the purest expression of Chardonnay-based wine in the Côte des Blancs but also a work of vinous art that has been meticulously guided from grape to glass. Winemaker Michel Chauvet is one of the last artisans who chooses to craft his Champagne exclusively by hand, the way it was made in the early 1900s before machines replaced manual labor. Lancelot-Royer is certainly one of the smallest domaines in Champagne, yet this is a boon for a craftsman as dedicated to quality as is Chauvet. Each bottle is uncompromisingly faithful to the lemony delicacy that characterizes Cramant and the crystalline purity of the finest blanc de blancs wines.
All estate vineyards (12 acres) in Cramant are rated 100% Grand Cru and planted to Chardonnay, as is tradition in the Côte de Blancs. Soils are classic Kimmeridgian chalk."
The same lovely, lithe grand cru Chardonnay Champagne as the estate’s regular ‘Cuvée des Chevaliers,’ yet with no added dosage. What a thrill to taste the pure chalky soils of Cramant in every sip! Refined, lacy, sublime. Aromas of dried flowers, green apple, and yellow pear. Lemon and lemon zest, apple and stone fruit; lithe yet flavorfully complex.
Juice is fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks. Wines undergo a second fermentation in bottle (méthode Champenoise) and are aged on fine lees for four years, much longer than most non-vintage wines. Chauvet reserves nearly a third of each harvest as reserve wine, which contributes to the richness and complexity of his non-vintage cuvées. Wines are bottled by hand, unfined and unfiltered. Approximately 30% reserve wines. No added dosage.
VINOUS 91 POINTS - "Melds together the verve of the Côte des Blancs Chardonnay with an extra touch of vibrancy from the no dosage style, an approach that works beautifully here. Vivid and chiseled the cuvée des Chevaliers is naturally taut. But there is more than enough depth for the fruit to keep the wine from being austere."
WINE ADVOCATE 90 POINTS - "...delivers aromas of honeycomb, almond paste, crisp orchard fruit and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with bright acids and a fleshy core of fruit, it's seamless and nicely balanced. This is a fine effort that comes recommended."