Lahaye/Benoît Brut Nature Champagne Grand Cru NV

94 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(90% pinot noir, 10% chardonnay; 80% Bouzy, 20% Ambonnay; average vine age 35 years; harvested at 10.3-11 degrees potential alcohol; 2012 base vintage with 2011 and 2010 reserves; fermented in oak barrels; zero dosage; 6000 bottles). The ripe style of Lahaye works seamlessly without dosage, showcasing the excellent red cherry and strawberry fruit depth of Bouzy and Ambonnay. This conspires with barrel fermentation to infuse a full straw hue with a copper tint, yet retains excellent freshness of lemon zest notes and impressive acid line. It's all set off with complex notes of anise and nutmeg, lingering on a long finish of softly mineral texture."

92+ points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "Based on the 2015 vintage and complemented by fully 50% reserve wines, Lahaye's NV Brut Nature Grand Cru is derived from holdings in Bouzy (which represents 80% of the blend) and Ambonnay, which he feels are better blended than bottled separately. Offering up a complex bouquet of yellow orchard fruit, toasted nuts and dried white flowers, the wine is medium to full-bodied, racy and precise, with fine depth at the core, a delicate mousse and a chalky, sapid finish. Drink: 2020-2030. (Apr 2020)"

92+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "As noted a year ago, Benoît Lahaye’s non-vintage Brut Nature bottling is comprised of a blend of ninety percent pinot noir and ten percent chardonnay, with eighty percent of the pinot noir hailing from Bouzy and twenty percent from Ambonnay. The vins clairs go through full malo and are fermented entirely in older casks. The wines spend two and a half years resting in the cellars sur latte, though I did not have the date of disgorgement of the most recent release, so I do not know the base year for this bottling. In any event, the wine is excellent, offering up a deep and complex nose of apple, patissière, complex soil tones, fresh-baked bread and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and focused, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent mineral drive, pinpoint bubbles and lovely balance on the long, brisk and very well-balanced finish. I could not find information on dosage on this release, but I would guess it is in the two grams per liter range, though the wine shows perfect balance on the backend. 2016-2030+."

Peter Liem (ChampagneGuide.net): "Lahaye releases his non-vintage champagne as both a Brut and Brut Nature, but the Brut Nature is by far the more sought-after by those in the know. Based heavily on pinot noir, which can account for as much as 90 percent of the blend, it always includes a high percentage of reserve wines (sometimes as much as 50 percent), and is typically a blend of four-fifths Bouzy and one-fifth Ambonnay. Lahaye credits the balance and complexity of his Brut Nature to the elevated ripeness attained by organic farming. 'In the past it wasn’t possible to make a Brut Nature like this,' he says, 'but after working organically we can do it.'"

Importer notes: "90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, 80% from Bouzy and 20% from Ambonnay. Soil: brown chalk. Planting density: 8400 plants per hectare - Root-stock: 41B. Pruning type: Cordon Royat and Chablis. Average age of vines: 35 years. The parcels are vinified separately. Aged for an average of 30 months on the lees. 1 or 2 stirring of the lees. Bottled without filtration. Not all the bottles are degorged at the same time. No Dosage. No addition of SO2. 500 cases produced and 200 magnums."