Located in the Premier Cru village of Écueil on the west bank of the “Petite Montagne de Reims”, these vines have belonged to the Lacourte & Godbillion families for generations. The very first planting of Champagne vines was prior to 1947, however Jean-Guy Lacourte and Claudine Godbillon had their very first harvest under the name Lacourte-Godbillion in 1968. In 2006, almost 40 years later, Richard Desvignes and Geraldine Lacourte decided to leave their executive city jobs to come back to the family vineyard. This new life of wine making has been a total revelation for them, and they strive to follow the philosphy of their ancestor, Jean-Guy Lacourte: “Only the highest quality grapes can produce a high quality wine.” The estate now includes 20.5 acres of vines (95% planted in Écueil, 5% in the neighboring village of Les Mesneux).
“Disgorged in September 2017 with two grams per liter dosage after 54 months on the lees, the 2012 Extra-Brut Premier Cru Les Chaillots from Lacourte Godbillon is entirely sélection massale Pinot Noir, planted in 1966 on the south-facing slopes of Ecueil. Offering up aromas of mirabelle plum, yellow apple, blanched almonds and dried white flowers, it’s medium to full-bodied, crisp and chalky, with fine-boned structuring extract, ripe but racy acids and a long, saline finish. It’s quite typical of the elegant, mineral Pinot Noir-based Champagnes of this part of the Montagne de Reims. 1337 bottles were produced.”
