Benoît Lahaye
CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE
Benoît Lahaye was an early adopter of natural winegrowing in a region (the Montagne de Reims) where the percentage of land farmed by organic practices still lags far behind the rest of France. After taking over his family’s estate in 1993, he immediately stopped the use of herbicides and by 1996, he was working organically, using cover crops between rows and home-grown compost as well as experimenting with biodynamic treatments. The vineyards were officially certified organic in 2007 and have been certified biodynamic (Biodyvin) since 2010.
Lahaye owns just under 12 acres of prime Pinot Noir terroir. The majority of his vineyards lie in the Grand Cru village of Bouzy, with another 2.5 acres in Ambonnay and 1.5 in Tauxières, to the west. He started working portions of the land by horse in 2010 to observe its effects on soil compaction and aims to eventually work the entirety of the domaine this way.
The work in the cellar is kept to a strict minimum. All base wines are fermented in barrel using only native yeasts. They may or may not go through malo, depending on the individual lot and how a particular year’s fruit is behaving. That is to say: it’s never forced or stopped. Second fermentation is under cork or capsule depending on the character of the vintage. In richer years, he prefers capsule, as the wines have enough body on their own. In more acid-forward years, he uses cork for the extra roundness it imparts.
Lahaye bottled his first no-sulfur Champagne in 2008.
The Wines
Brut Nature Grand Cru
varieties: pinot noir & chardonnay soil type: Kimmeridgian avg vine age: 35 years
The grapes for Lahaye’s Brut Nature come primarily from his hometown of Bouzy, with about 20% from the other Grand Cru village of Ambonnay. It’s 90% Pinot Noir and sees as much as 50% reserve wines. The plots are all vinified separately and aged for an average of 30 months on the lees. Bottled without filtration, dosage or SO2.
Rosé de Macération
variety: pinot noir soil type: Kimmeridgian avg vine age: 46 years
This 100% Pinot Noir rosé comes from a single vineyard called Les Juliennes planted in 1973 on pure terres blanches soil. The whole clusters are macerated for 2 to 3 days before pressing, and the still wine ferments using native yeasts. Bottled with a low dosage of 2 to 3 grams per liter.
Bouzy Rouge
variety: pinot noir soil type: Kimmeridgian avg vine age: 59 years
This sought-after still Côteaux Champenois red comes off of vines planted in 1960. It ferments using whole clusters and native yeasts with some punchdowns and some pumpovers. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in neutral barrels, and the wine is aged in barriques without any racking. Only 100 cases produced.