Hughes Godmé, Blanc de Blancs, Premier Cru, $72

The Godmé family has been growing grapes in the village of Verzenay, in the Montagne de Reims, since the 19th century.

Just after World War II, Joseph Godmé began making his own Champagne and soon became one of the first growers to bottle all of his own fruit himself, selling none to the large houses. Hugues Godmé, Joseph’s grandson, received his first vineyard from his grandfather in 1976 when he was still a student at enology school and for many years, Hugues and his sister Sabine jointly oversaw operations. But they had different stylistic ideas, which prevented Hugues from crafting his Champagnes exactly the way he wanted. Eventually they split up the family property and created their own individual estates. Today Hugues Godmé is considered among the top grower-producers in Champagne. He is passionate and humble and produces pure, terroir driven wines from his impeccably grown fruit. He farms completely biodynamically and picks his fruit relatively early in order to achieve maximum freshness. In the winery he uses native yeasts, with no fining or filtration, ages his wines on the lees, and vinifies in neutral wood. “What I want to achieve for all of my wines,” he says, “is a certain lightness… I prefer sensuality and lace to something too overt.”

This Champagne is 100% Chardonnay from their biodynamically farmed Premier Cru vineyards. While it received no dosage, because it saw some oak and spent three years on the lees, the freshness and crispness is well balanced by inviting texture and depth, making it a great Champagne for food, especially shellfish or seafood.