Read our mini profile on grower Champagne David Léclapart, a key advocate of biodynamic farming.
Region: Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Village: Trépail
Grape varieties: Chardonnay – Pinot Noir
Vineyard area: 3 hectares
The village of Trépail is unusual in the Montagne de Reims in that it is planted almost entirely with Chardonnay. Since establishing his 3ha domaine in 1998, David Léclapart has been making the finest contemporary examples of this terroir.
Léclapart is one of Champagne’s most vocal advocates of biodynamic farming, having been certified biodynamic since 2000, and with an approach in the cellar governed by the same principles. His entry-level wine, L’Amateur, is vinified with indigenous yeasts in enamelled-steel tanks, as he believes that stainless steel imparts a negative energy into his wines. In contrast, the rest of his cuvées are wholly or partially fermented in second-hand barrels purchased from Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy. All of his Champagnes are released without dosage, and all are typically low in sulphur. These are highly individual Champagnes, marked by a striking purity and elegance, as well as a racy tension and savoury complexity derived from Trépail’s chalky soils.
Wine to try: David Léclapart, L’Artiste Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru, Montagne de Reims, 2007
Address: 10 Rue de la Mairie, 51380 Trépail, France
