Visit To Champagne Georges Laval, Organic Since 1971
Posted On November 27, 2010 at 10:52 pm in Champagne
At just 90 minutes from Paris, experiencing the allure and history of the Champagne regions is an easy day-trip. So with guests in town recently we traveled to Cumieres, loctated ten minutes outside the Champagne capital of Epernay. After a late start we arrived just in time for lunch. The restaurant Le Caveau is situated inside a limestone cave that has been climatized and features the somewhat odd combination of period dressed mannequins presiding over antique cellar equipment. Even if the decor is a bit odd, the food is excellent. We had a great lunch of escargot in butter terragon sauce, smoked salmon and fish accompanied by a bottle of champagne.
We arranged for a visit with Vincent Laval of Champagnes Georges Laval, also located in Cumieres. Since 1971 they have produced champagne made exclusively from organically grown grapes. In the cool and sometimes rainy northern France, it’s easy to determine which growers are relying on chemical pesticides and fertilizers and which are doing the labor intensive work that’s required to grow vines organically. The treated vineyards are a moonscape of exposed rock and earth while the untreated vineyards are green with grass growing between the vines. In the arid south its too dry for much greenery so it’s more difficult to determine by sight which growers are carpet bombing their crops with round-up and and pesticides.
Vines produce better quality grapes when they are stressed and are forced to descend into the lower subsoils for nutrients. Over-fertilized vines have roots which remain close to the surface since they receive all the nutrients they need in the topsoils. Since they are not stressed, yields are higher but the quality and character of the grapes and much less interesting. The two vines that Vincent Laval removed intact from vineyards that were being replanted illustrate this point perfectly in the photo below.
So while you can pay a lot of money for champagne form the the big brands with their stylish packaging for my money the best value are from small producers like George Laval. And his wines don’t come cheap. His non-vintage sells for 40€ a bottle. Thanks again to Vincent Laval who was very generous with his time and even let us barrel taste his 2010 wines.
Le Caveau, 44 rue de la Cooperative, 51480 Cumieres, Tel: 03 26 54 83 23, http://www.lecaveau-cumieres.com/
Which is the better vine?
Greg
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Greg, nice article and excellent example of a grower/producer in the Champagne Wine Region. It’s not an easy Champagne to find in the US, but well worth the effort.
Thanks, I think its sold at Chambers Street Wines in NYC. They export all over and have no problem selling all of their limited production.