Le Mesnil Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru

Regular price $51.98

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Champagne Le Mesnil Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is one of those bottles where understanding who makes it and where the grapes come from makes the wine considerably more interesting. It isn't a small grower estate despite the name. Le Mesnil is the proprietary label of the cooperative in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the greatest Chardonnay villages of the Côte des Blancs.

The Union des Propriétaires-Récoltants (UPR) was founded in 1937, during an extremely difficult economic period for Champagne. A group of local growers pooled their resources, purchasing property and buildings that had belonged to Champagne Henriot and installing a press and small winery. The cooperative allowed these small vineyard owners to vinify their fruit collectively rather than being entirely dependent on selling grapes to the grandes maisons. That's important because this isn't just any cooperative. It is the cooperative of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

Le Mesnil sits in the heart of the Côte des Blancs and is one of Champagne's 17 historic Grand Cru villages. The vineyards are dominated by Chardonnay planted over extremely chalky subsoils, with many vineyards on east-facing slopes. The chalk provides excellent drainage while retaining water deep underground, helping Chardonnay maintain its characteristic acidity and mineral profile.

This is 100% Chardonnay grown entirely in the legendary Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, home turf for Salon and Krug's Clos du Mesnil. Founded in 1937, the village cooperative gives its growers a collective voice and gives access to some seriously prestigious chalk without the prestige-cuvée price. Crisp apple, lemon and white flowers lead into brioche, toasted almond and a wonderfully chalky, saline finish. Creamy enough to charm, mineral enough to remind you exactly where it came from. Grand Cru Champagne with a very un-Grand-Cru price tag.

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Unless your delivery address is on the West Coast, we strongly discourage you from selecting “Ground Service” as your shipping method. During the winter and summer months, weather conditions (temperature) and longer delivery times can often result in the spoilage of your order. It doesn’t make sense to invest in fine wines and then take the chance of ruining them due environmental factors during transit (faster and safer delivery generally isn’t much more expensive). We don’t make an additional profit on accelerated delivery, but we frequently recommend faster shipping options to our customers outside the West Coast.
You must be 21 years of age to order or receive alcoholic beverages. Any shipments containing alcoholic beverages are sent with an “Adult Signature Required” sticker, and the common carrier that delivers our merchandise is required to ask and check for identification upon delivery. This means that an adult will have to be present at the time of delivery. Please consider shipping to an office address.
During periods of extreme weather, we attempt to ship wines at the beginning of each week in order to get shipments to you before the weekend. This is because we have no control over the temperature conditions at our freight carriers’ warehouses. The result may be that your shipment doesn’t go out the day that you place an order.
We ship by Fedex or Fedex Ground. Our prices include packaging materials. Insurance may be available for an additional charge.
Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. will arrange for shipment on behalf of the buyer, to an address specified by the buyer, provided that Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. in its sole judgment believes that such shipment will not subject Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. to the risk of any sort of legal action or other harm. If a buyer lives in a state where the direct shipment of wine by Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. violates the law, we suggest that the buyer provide an alternative address in another state or have their wine shipped to a third-party storage facility in a direct shipping-friendly state.
Various states impose limitations on the quantity of alcoholic beverages that may be purchased and brought into their jurisdiction by a purchaser from another state without requiring the purchaser, a seller or shipper to possess certain licenses or permits. Vintage Wine Merchants, Inc. does not, as a condition of sale, assume any obligation nor bear any responsibility whatsoever for applying or obtaining any permits or licenses. Therefore, we recommend that you investigate the possibility of such limitations, and determine the manner in which alcoholic beverages shall be brought into your state from California, so as to comply with all of your state’s requirements.
Wine shipping rules in the United States are controlled by the state you live in. We do not ship wine to the following states at this time: