Legrand-Latour

Geology of Champagne

Legrand-Latour has its origins in a family of winegrowers whose history goes back several generations, but it was in 2012, when Thibault joined his parents' vineyards, that a real turning point began. After selling grapes to the local cooperative for many years, he decided to reorient the estate by eliminating herbicides, adopting reduced tillage and promoting permanent cover crops between the rows. This shift towards natural viticulture was rewarded in 2019 with Demeter organic and biodynamic certification. Aware of the unique geological history of Fleury-la-Rivière, Thibault draws inspiration from the geology of the subsoil to guide his winemaking choices and pay tribute to the region's maritime past.

The vines grow on south-east facing slopes, on limestone, marl or sandy soils often laden with fossilised shells, remnants of an ancient tropical sea. These characteristics allow the traditional grape varieties, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and sometimes Pinot Noir, to express balanced maturity, saline minerality and aromatic depth. Manual labour, the absence of tractors, minimal tillage, the ban on herbicides and respect for natural balances result in healthy, vibrant produce that faithfully reflects the terroir.

In the cellar, Legrand-Latour adopts a patient approach that respects the raw material. Fermentation takes place in barrels with indigenous yeasts, without additives, sometimes with the addition of sulphur only if necessary, and ageing is carried out using gravity without pumping. Each cuvée is vinified according to the geological stratum from which it originates, Lutetian, Eocene or Ypresian, creating a direct link between the clay, sand, marl or fossils in the soil and the personality of the wine. After bottling, the wines are left to age for 30 to 40 months on slats in hand-dug cellars, housed in the old family underground museum filled with marine fossils. The result is a range of champagnes of great purity, minerality and tension, often with no or very low dosage, which pay homage to an ancient terroir and a demanding approach to winemaking.