Le Brun Servenay
- Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
Once again, I was quite taken with the Champagnes of Le Brun-Servenay. These are some of the most powerful, structured Blanc de Blancs readers will come across. Best of all, the wines are bursting at the seams with personality and character.”
—Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Le Brun Servenay produces crystalline and rich Champagne, with pronounced acidity and intense saltiness; these are pure expressions of the old vines and the famous chalk of the Côte des Blancs. The house has a total of 7.5 hectares, 3.5 of which are in Grand Cru Côte des Blancs (Avize, Cramant, and Oger), one hectare in the premier cru Grauves, and three more in Mancy, just west of Avize in the Côteaux Sud d’Epernay. They farm their fruit sustainably to protect the vines— the oldest of which are 100 years old— and soil.
The average age of their vines is 65 years old on the vintage and rosé, and 35 years old for the NV wines. Due to their age, yields are generally low. All fermentation and aging in stainless steel, with the exception of the still red which is aged in two neutral barrels and blended into the rosé. There is no malolactic fermentation. Reserve wine is aged on the fine lees; there are up to four vintages in the reserve wine. The bottles are riddled by hand; the wines are finished with a very low dosage of MCR or traditional liqueur.