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YANN ALEXANDRE “BRUT NOIR” NV

Grower Champagne — Champagne, France

Grape Varietals

• Pinot Meunier 
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Noir

Location

Country: France
Region: Champagne
Area: Petite Montagne de Reims
Appellation: Champagne AOC
Producer Village: Courmas

Tasting Notes

Brut Noir combines the fruitiness of Pinot Meunier with Chardonnay’s freshness and Pinot Noir’s structure. Expect pear, apple, mirabelle plum, peach and bright lemon, complemented by biscuit, vanilla and buttery bread notes from its extended aging. The palate is fresh yet surprisingly substantial, with fine bubbles, good density and a creamy richness balanced by citrus-driven acidity. Overall, this is a Champagne that manages to be both immediately pleasurable and serious: fruity and generous enough for casual drinking, but with enough texture, yeast-derived complexity and structure to accompany an entire meal.

Food Pairings

This is much more than an aperitif Champagne. Pair it with oysters, shrimp, lobster, crab, mussels, clams, scallops, smoked or grilled salmon, sushi, ceviche and other raw or marinated seafood. It also has enough body for roast chicken, veal, creamy cheeses and richer fish such as cod or sea bass. The combination of fruit, acidity and autolytic richness can even handle aromatic or mildly spicy Thai, Indian and curry-based dishes. For a cheese course, try fresh goat cheese, Brie or other soft cheeses.

Producer

Champagne Yann Alexandre is a true grower Champagne producer, or récoltant-manipulant: rather than functioning like one of Champagne’s large houses that purchases grapes from many growers, the Alexandre family farms vineyards and produces Champagne under its own name. The family’s winegrowing history stretches back to the early 18th century. For generations they sold grapes and must to larger Champagne houses, but in 1933, Gaston and Marcel Alexandre began making and selling Champagne themselves. Today, Yann Alexandre represents the eighth generation of independent winegrowers.

Yann and his wife Séverine farm a small estate in the Petite Montagne de Reims, with Yann officially recognized as a Vigneron Indépendant. The estate has held HVE Level 3 environmental certification since 2015 and is also certified under Viticulture Durable en Champagne, Champagne’s sustainability program. Their small scale allows them to work individual vineyard parcels separately and place considerably more emphasis on vineyard identity than is typical of large-volume Champagne production.