Champagne R & L Legras

Although one should not necessarily judge a Champagne by the number of listings it has in the Michelin-starred restaurants of Paris, one can not fail but to be impressed by Legras in this respect; and in many other respects, indeed, as one tastes the wines. Founded in the 16th century, Legras is one of the great names of Chouilly, the famous and most northerly village of the Côte de Blancs. The House style combines a firm and classic structure with a generous fruit profile.

Champagne R&L Legras Brut is a pure and very satisfying expression of Chardonnay; the Brut has been aged for three years on its lees and has a modest dosage of six grams per litre. The floral aromas are complemented by an autolytic yeastiness and yellow fruits on the palate. Linear and focused, yet not without an attractive depth of flavour, the wine has a long mineral finish.

Although one should not necessarily judge a Champagne by the number of listings it has in the Michelin-starred restaurants of Paris, one can not fail but to be impressed by Legras in this respect; and in many other respects, indeed, as one tastes the wines. Founded in the 16th century, Legras is one of the great names of Chouilly, the famous and most northerly village of the Côte de Blancs. The House style combines a firm and classic structure with a generous fruit profile.

With only four grams of residual sugar but appropriately enough, four years of lees’ ageing, this superb new cuvée takes Legras to new heights of excellence. Julien Barbier, the winemaker, extols its purity, power and its precision on the mid-palate, sentiments with which we fully concur.

This outstanding cuvée has no dosage, relying instead on the natural exuberance and wonderful purity of the great vintage that was 2002. The style is quite broad and full-bodied, with notes of almond and ripe apple, then a flinty backdrop. A marvellous combination for oysters; go native.
Simon Field MW, BBR Wine Buyer

This, quite simply, is one of the finest Non Vintage Chardonnay Champagnes that one is likely to find, rather like Krug Grande Cuvée in its multi-vintage Grand Cru assemblage and its encyclopaedic complexity.

Aged on lees for over ten years, the Hommage is rich and exotic on one level, with plenty of nutty depth, but also wonderfully fresh, linear and precise. Powerful enough for langoustines and other fruits de mer, this is so good that it works well as both aperitif and digestif…a revelation!

Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer