Again, this is 2023 base with 20% reserve wine. Prévost’s 2.2-hectare vineyard, Les Béguines, is in Gueux, 10km west of Reims in the north of Champagne. The soil here is a layer cake of calcareous (Thanetian) sand over clay, over more calcareous sand. Inherited from Jérôme’s grandmother, the site was planted in the 1960s with an old, slow-growing, rootstock that descends deep. Les Béguines is close to 100% Meunier, although there is now a small parcel of 10-year-old Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc (these vines represent roughly six per cent of the blend). The vineyard is managed organically, with the soils cultivated exclusively by horse and the yields kept in balance.

As always, the wine was vinified without any additions, in large-format, used barrels, for 10 months, and was bottled unfiltered. In the past, this was always a tightly wound wine that needed a number of years to open. Now, with the warmer climate and evolution in farming and winemaking—including the addition of reserve wine—it’s another world. The wines are much more approachable from an early age, and the 2023 base is no exception. This is much richer and more layered than the wine above, and already drinking well. Loads of fleshy, pear, stone fruit and honey-noted depth—there’s also plenty of spice and a lovely powdery close. A super release of this unique wine.

Importer Notes