The Labruyères have a long lineage of wine history dating back to 1850’s Les Thorins in Moulin-à-Vent, a historic grower of gamay noir. Within the last two generations, they’ve grown their reach to holdings in Burgundy (Domaine Jacques Priueur) in 1988, and then in 1992, they added 18 hectares of idyllic Pomerol parcels upon acquiring Château Rouget in Bordeaux. Nearly two decades later, industry savant and family patriarch, Jean-Pierre Labruyère, passed his holdings down to his son, Edouard, in 2008.

It was Edouard who added these premium Champagne vineyards to his family’s portfolio, deepening their efforts to practice sustainable, world-class agriculture methods while expanding into a whole new world of impeccable wines. This Brut Nature is a quantifiable knock-out, made solely from pinot noir coming from their vineyards in Verzenay – from a grouping of plots that were a long-time staple for Dom Perignon’s best bottles, for goodness sake! Between the clay and limestone soils, the terroir and climate here create an ideal spot for perfectly balanced, pure pinot noir – with the clay’s warmth deepening the pinot’s classic red berry notes of raspberries, cherries, and plums, and the limestone contributing to the saline and mineral characteristics that ultimately make for a bright and linear tension that carries into a lengthy finish.

Undergoing full malolactic fermentation, and then a generous six years aging on the lees, this non-dosage wine contains plenty of weight and depth, with a luminous creaminess that’s light and airy, almost akin to an ultra-lightweight whipped cream. Although it’s a newer wine, this portrays an impressive amount of self and precision with clear displays of Burgundian vinosity to it…and it’s no surprise that we had to snap up as much of it as we could get our hands on (yes, OK, with the deepest of desires to get even more access to this incredible, new-to-us producer’s wines in the future!). This is that rare combination of Champagne pedigree without history (and the prices that often go with it)! If you’re looking to explore new houses (and seriously, who isn’t?), this is a great beginning…while these last bottles remain!