Champagne Brut 'L'Éloquente', Jean de la Fontaine

About the wine

This sustainably made Champagne is a beautifully elegant wine. Notes of small red berries give way to fresh apples and pears on the nose, with a subtle savory, almost dough-like note. On the palate, it is lifted by the Pinot Meunier which dominates the blend and gives a firm fruity expression. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir compliment for body and structure and you're left with a mouth-watering finish and zingy concentration that will have you going back for more.

Jean de la Fontaine Champagne L'Eloquente Brut NV is what we call a "grower Champagne", meaning that it comes from one estate which owns its own vineyards, as opposed to a Champagne house (who generally dominate the market, such Moët or Veuve Clicquot) who produce wines from grapes obtained from multiple growers. The wine is made up of 65% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir. Sustainability is key to their ethos and they have proudly achieved their Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne and High Environmental Value (HEV) certifications, of which they were amongst the first in the region to do so. The grapes are hand-harvested and brought to the winery to be vinified separately in order to maintain integrity of the different varieties, before blending post fermentation. L'Eloquente Brut is NV (non-vintage), meaning it is a blend of wine from multiple years of harvests, rather than vintage wines which come from one specific year. This is the most common style of Champagne, which is released yearly as the ‘house style’ by growers and Champagne houses. This French sparkling wine is made according to the traditional method, also known as méthode champenoise, in which the wine goes through a secondary ferment in bottle. It is thenaged in their cellars for 3 to 4 years before release.

About the wine

Perhaps you are looking for a wine to celebrate with, or you just fancy a bit of bubbly at the end of a long week, this gorgeous Champagne is just the ticket. It can be enjoyed on its own or goes brilliantly with canapes, in particular shellfish - a match made in heaven with oysters!