Champagne La Closerie, Les Beguines, LC 19, Extra Brut, Champagne, France, NV (Jerome Prevost)

Overview of the Wine
Jérôme Prévost’s Champagne La Closerie was founded in 1998, after taking over his grandmother’s two hectares vineyard of Les Beguines, planted with massale selection Meunier in the Montagne de Reims village of Gueux. Jérôme Prévost and his estate of Champagne La Closerie are part of a small but powerful coalition of tiny producers making intense, terroir-transparent, vinous Champagnes. Rather than follow the traditional Champagne model of blending grapes, vintages, and vineyards to produce a "standardized" product, Jérôme and his fellow "Champagne Renegades" produce terroir-specific bottlings primarily dedicated to one grape and one vintage. Jérôme inherited a two hectares parcel known as Les Béguines from his grandmother, who grew up on the same road in the Montagne de Reims village of Gueux where the winery and family home are located. In Les Béguines, Pinot Meunier reigns supreme, but there are assorted vines of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay interspersed throughout the parcel, which represent about 5% of the final blend. Additionally, while a single vintage dominates, Jérôme tends to blend in 10-15% reserve wines.

Les Beguines is located about 10 km west of Reims. It was planted in the late 1950's, fortunately prior to the age of "super clones", so with original massale selection cuttings. Jérôme harvests all grapes by hand, and ferments with indigenous yeasts using a mix of used barriques and 600L demi-muids. The champagnes are disgorged about 16 months after bottling, and finished with no dosage and very little sulfur so as to preserve the sanctity and purity of the wine underneath. This short period sur lattes is unique in Champagne, but Jérôme maintains that the most interesting evolution in his wines occurs in the bottle in the months and years following disgorgement, as he points out, more like regular still wine than a Champagne.

While the main production chez Prévost is the Meunier-based Les Béguines, he also makes miniscule quantities of a fascinating Rose Champagne called Fac-simile. It is a Rose d'assemblage using still (red) Pinot Meunier from his vineyard. In addition, as Jérôme is always tinkering and experimenting, there is an occasional experimental cuvee that is released commercially.

The miniscule production is magnified by the cult-y following of Prévost Champages. While the technical details can't be eliminated from the conversation, Jérôme's wines should be viewed through the lens of his generous, artistic spirit. Part philosopher, part comedian, Jérome farms vines and produces wines with the deep desire to bring people together in the name of deliciousness.

Winemaker
Jerome Prevost

Grape / Blend
100% Pinot Meunier

Origin
Champagne, France

Tasting Notes
The NV Extra Brut Les Béguines LC 19 showed brilliantly once again, bursting with aromas of orange rind, orchard fruit, red berries and peach, mingled with notions of walnuts and marzipan, as well as telltale hints of warm spices and fenugreek. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's deep and complete, with huge reserves of fruit and structure, enlivened by a pillowy mousse. Concluding with a long, sapid finish, I continue to think this is one of Prévost's finest releases of the decade. In style, it's reminiscent of a somewhat riper version of the 2012. 

97 Points - Wine Advocate
On release, I contended that Prévost's NV Extra Brut Les Béguines LC 19 numbers among his greatest hits of the decade, and revisiting it this year only confirmed that conviction. Unwinding in the glass with rich aromas of crisp yellow stone fruits, mirabelle plum, fenugreek, spices and toasted nuts, along with subtle hints of bitter orange and plums, it's full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a concentrated and enveloping core of fruit, bright acids and a long, sapid finish. As readers may remember, Prévost opted to use less sugar than usual for secondary fermentation, resulting in slightly lower pressure and, importantly, a lower total alcohol percentage in this ripe vintage, so it's no surprise that LC 19's mousse is especially refined. (WK)

Product size: 750ml