On the outskirts of Champagne, in Fossoy located in the Vallée de la Marne, there exists a tiny domaine belonging to Benoît Déhu. From here, he crafts the prestige, La Rue des Noyers, which has turned the world of meunier on its head. Sommelier, Matthew Lamb, explains the role Benoît has had in elaborating meunier which has earned him a cult status amongst those seeking something extraordinary.
Of the three primary grape varieties in Champagne, meunier is nearly always considered the ‘poor cousin’. Too fruity, unstructured and with relatively poor aging potential, things weren’t helped very much when – in 1927 – the Champagne appellation did not allocate grand or premier cru status to any meunier-dominant village.
However, just like with everything in life there are exceptions to the rule, and with expanded consumer interest outside of just the famed grand cru villages, Grande Marque tête de cuvées and now well-established growers, curious drinkers are searching for examples down less trodden paths.
One lesser-known champion for meunier is Benoît Déhu. Benoît represents the eighth generation of Déhu Père et Fils, with the family estate founded in 1787. The domaine is based in Fossoy, which sits on the western edge of the Vallée de la Marne. With the well-established nature of the family domaine, Benoît took the opportunity to work with a 1.7 hectare parcel, La Rue des Noyers, and began to produce wines under his very own eponymous label in 2011. The plot was immediately worked both biodynamically and organically, with 2014 being his first certified organic vintage alongside biodynamics (albeit without certification). The old vines, planted between 1970 and 1973, sit on clay, limestone and marl soil interspersed with silex and gritstone. His raison d'être being to gain the greatest understanding of the parcel as possible, and to truly understand the intimate nuances of meunier.
The old vines, planted between 1970 and 1973, sit on clay, limestone and marl soil interspersed with silex and gritstone. His raison d'être being to gain the greatest understanding of the parcel as possible, and to truly understand the intimate nuances of meunier.
La Rue des Noyers draws its name from the walnut trees – ‘noyers’, in French - which line the property and teems with life. The soil, underfoot, demonstrates the vitality and biodiversity which Benoît promotes through thoughtful farming. Around one quarter of the plot is farmed by horse. Each bottling is a vintage elaborated in oak, including from surrounding forests. Indigenous yeasts are used for primary fermentation, followed by around 11 months in barrel on lees, malolactic fermentation is avoided and there’s no fining or filtration. Dosage, if any, is always kept very low; the last few releases being Brut Nature.
The soil, underfoot, demonstrates the vitality and biodiversity which Benoît promotes through thoughtful farming.
La Rue des Noyers has quickly established as a reference meunier – and sits amongst the top echelon of meunier-specific bottlings from Champagne. Its depth and complexity of flavours are a stark contrast to the commonly perceived ‘simplistic and jubey red fruits’ held by some about meunier.
The continued search for understanding has Benoît looking at the impact of the three different types of rootstocks present in La Rue des Noyers, which he has also now vinified and bottled as individual cuvées. Such a detailed pursuit for knowledge is a rarity to see, and this is just one of many reasons as to why his fellow vignerons and wine lovers are paying close attention to his work.
Sourced from a small selection of low yielding vines which are worked by horse within the La Rue des Noyers parcel, more recently Benoît has produced a Rosé expression. La Rue des Noyers Rosé is made using maceration. After extensive sorting and destemming, it spends around five hours macerating in stainless steel before the free run juice is taken.
Fermentation follows a similar approach to its blanc bottling, albeit with a shorter period of time on lees before disgorgement - around 15 months. La Rue des Noyers Rosé is truly a Rosé of intensity and concentration whilst remaining elegant, with flavours and structure akin to a light red.
La Rue des Noyers Rosé is truly a Rosé of intensity and concentration whilst remaining elegant, with flavours and structure akin to a light red.
To complete the full circle of potential wines from La Rue des Noyers, Benoît also produces both a white and red Coteaux Champenois – both 100 percent meunier. The sorting is an incredibly meticulous process, of both the grapes and resulting wine, with a puritanical focus on quality.
Vinification and maturation takes place in 228L oak barrels, before being bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal, if any, sulphur added. The white Coteaux Champenois appears amplifies the nature of the soil, with a salinity running through the palate and freshness through its textural richness. The red displays a myriad of red fruits, to which air reveals layers of hidden spice and floral notes. Both bottlings are powerful and complex wines, which are rewarded with time in the both the cellar and aeration when served. For those lucky enough to have a bottle or two, there should be no immediate rush to pull the corks – as tempting as it may be!
With a total annual production of around 20,000 bottles, availability is painfully small and the demand for his wines continues to grow year upon year. If you are one of those able to find bottles bearing the label of Benoît Déhu, including his other cuvées such as Initiation, L’Orme and the unicorn cuvée, La Pythie, I would highly recommend buying all that you can.
Words by Matthew Lamb
Photography supplied by Benoît Déhu and Mathieu Cellard
