Champagne Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre

This is Benoït Lahaye's most recent creation, available for the first time in New York. This tiny vineyard was planted to vines by Benoït's grandfather, and he didn't stick to the three major Champagne grapes! In fact there's Pinot Blanc and Arbanne, but also Chasselas and Gros Plant in the bottle (shhhhh). The grapes are all co-planted, and Benoït uses his two donkeys (Barnaby and Balsamine) to do the plowing. This wine is more than just a bucolic story. Rich, ripe, apply, honeyed, nutty, and earthy, the wine has almost no sulfur added (20 milligrams total), no dosage, and an incredible mid-palate and finish. As seems generally to be the case with Lahaye's wines, they need time to open up, and often the last glass is the most delicious.