Laurent Benard, Champagne Extra Brut 'La Cle des Sept Arpents' R21, NV

A grower Champagne blending Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier (roughly 45/35/20), Pinot Noir-led rather than Meunier-focused. Laurent Benard is a grower in Mareuil-sur-Ay, in the Vallee de la Marne, farming just under three hectares organically and biodynamically. This cuvee is blended from several parcels including the lieu-dit Les Sept Arpents, planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier on clay-limestone, and the wine keeps its detail through natural fermentation, long aging on the lees, and a near-zero Extra Brut dosage. The 'R21' marks a base of the 2021 harvest. This is grower Champagne at its purest: transparent, saline, and built to show a single site rather than a house style.