Marie-Noelle Ledru- Cuvee du Goulte, Grand Cru, Vintage 2005, 2015, 2016

Marie-Noelle Ledru is cherished by passionate Champagne lovers as a vigneron who crafts wines with true soul. Sadly, she is rapidly disappearing from the landscape, having had two-thirds of her vineyard sold by her sisters in 2010, and has now quietly retired from commercial wine production. Ledru never produced a great deal of wine from her home in Ambonnay, and those who loved it kept her name close to their chest, wanting the bottles to never find an undeserving home.

In Ambonnay, Pinot Noir is king, being one of the finest Grand Cru villages for the grape. Known as a perfectionist, Marie-Noelle took the helm of the family estate in 1984, which had existed since 1946. The estate once consisted of five hectares—mostly in Ambonnay, with one hectare in Bouzy—where Ledru always farmed organically, paying close attention to her vines’ health. In the cellar, the wines were hardly interfered with; they were allowed to ferment with native yeasts in enamel-lined tanks and underwent malo-lactic fermentation naturally. She aged her wines on their lees for a minimum of three years, and for vintage cuvées, about five years. She disgorged everything by hand and usually utilized very little dosage.

Unfortunately, about half her production was sold to négociant houses, so even when more wine was made, very little of it escaped France. Treasure these.

Vintage 2005 : $4800

Vintage 2015 : $3500

Vintage 2016 : $3800 (Her last vintage)