Champagne P. Lancelot-Royer is rooted in Cramant (not to be mistaken for Crémant), a Grand Cru village where Michel Chauvet grew up set in the midst of the Côte des Blancs. This Cuvée Dualissime is named in reference to the two plots sourced to craft this bottling, one in Avize and the other in Chouilly – two more Grand Cru villages bookending each side of Cramant. The juice is fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks, before undergoing secondary fermentation in bottle and aging on the lees for a total of 5 years. The base cuvée is the 2015 vintage, with 15% of the final blend coming from a perpetual solera-style reserve mixture of past vintages from many decades, adding a richness of complexities to the end wine. Finally, the disgorgement and a delicate dosage of 4 grams/liter finish off the wine to craft something celebratory, vinous, and one of the most food-friendly Champagnes I’ve tasted! 

This cuvée clocks in at less than 170 cases total production – way below average for even micro-production standards, and that’s because Michel is intentionally old school in his methodology. He chooses winemaking practices that were the norm more than 100 years ago, prior to the invention of many tools and equipment that are standard today in the wine industry. We’re certainly not anti-technology – in fact, we absolutely see the benefit of many modern winemaking instruments for improving quantities and quality in a lot of cases. However, can we get behind a producer willing to push the limits of one man using age-old processes and his own tireless efforts to craft a singularly standout Champagne? Absolutely. And is the result an unequivocal win? You bet it is!

The painstaking process comes together for an exceptionally layered, full-flavored wine of impressive measures, with a couple of years on the cork tremendously expanding the nuance and complexity of the overall experience. The nose opens with this leesy, creamy, toasty goodness, slowly unfurling to reveal variations of lemon curd, lemon zest, and notes of wet slate. On the palate, more lemons and some bruleed pear dance alongside salty chalk, warm clove, lemongrass, tart green apples, and buttermilk biscuits coated in rich, creamy butter. Oh, this is one magnificent Champagne – ever the zippy, creamy, and dreamy drinker with glorious spice and minerality throughout! It’s one I would heartily recommend not passing up, however you can make that happen…though, we have a lingering few cases left in the warehouse, so sidle up quickly! You’ll be delighted to have it alongside your next celebratory meal...or many meals to come!