J. Lassalle Cuvée Preference 1er Cru NV

J. Lassalle Cuvée Preference 1er Cru NV

Grapes: 60% Pinot Meunier, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir

ABV: 12%

Region: Champagne, France

Winemaker: Angéline Templier

Viniculture: 50 year-old vines farmed “lutte raisonnée,” sustainable. hand-harvested

Winemaking: pressed in wooden basket press, fermented

“bright toasted bread, quince, and yellow apple”

J. Lassalle is a bit of a rarity in the Champagne world. It’s a small family farm that both owns all their own vineyards and makes their own wine from said vineyards. In a world where most of the Champagne created and sold is from large firms and brands owned by conglomerates, standouts like J. Lassalle are a bit of a welcome rarity.

The J. Lassalle winery was founded in 1942 by the eponymous Jules Lassalle, who created a style of structured, small-vineyard Champagne that was very different from the presiding style at the time: big, off-dry wines made by the most wealthy firms. To say they were early to the trend of grower-producers would be incorrect–they were one of the very first to make and market the product of their own family vineyards. 

Since 1982 the winery has been run by women, starting with Jules’ wife and daughter Olga and Chantal, and then passed along to his granddaughter Angéline Templier in 2006. They have continued to refine their farming and winery practices to encourage lower intervention and purity of expression. They even earned admittance to the exclusive Special Club, an alliance of high-quality independent Champagne producers.

This Cuvée Préférence is blended from base wines at least 4-5 years old, and is riddled by hand-meaning the whole lees-aging process needs a human. When the wines are eventually disgorged, there’s a small adjustment of sweetness added to balance out the wines’ natural acidity. This particular wine is made from Premier Cru vineyards owned by the Lassalle family, and leads with bright toasted bread, quince, and yellow apple. A bead of tiny, piquant bubbles ignites on the palate and carries the wine to a clean and effortless finish.

This is a perfect pairing with crunchy foods-potato chips, fried chicken, and salads are all good ideas.