Ruppert-Leroy

Emmanuel and Bénédicte Leroy’s 4ha domaine Ruppert-Leroy was one that we followed closely for several years when they started in 2010. Since then their progress has been exponential, and the quality of their champagnes is now off the scale. Manu and Béné (ex-high-level kayakers and PE teachers) shared a passion for wine well before making their own – they regularly visited the Jura at a time when it only took a knock at the door to meet and taste with Pierre Overnoy. When Béné’s father Gérard Ruppert, a visionary farmer and organic vine-grower in the south-eastern corner of the Côte des Bar, offered his daughter the opportunity to take over, she did not take much convincing and jumped at the chance. Grapes were no longer sold to the négoce and the first bottling of Ruppert-Leroy came to life. Nowadays husband and wife practise biodynamic viticulture in a selection of superb high-altitude terroirs near Essoyes, arguably the most bio-diverse and remote area in the Aube region where stunning coteaux, dense forest and pastures are intertwined. The domaine, an exemplary biodynamic farm, is a peaceful place where humans, livestock, fauna and flora live in harmony. Manu, a highly skilled carpenter (i.e. Compagnons du Tour de France), built a splendid wooden house covered with an energy-efficient green roof that perfectly integrates the landscape and respects its thriving ecosystem, an environmentally friendly approach which is a core value at Ruppert-Leroy.

You notice hints of black pepper on the nose, with citrus fruits and peach, biscuits and nuts, with subtle bitters, so long and so complex.

Fabulous aperitif

Aged for nine months in fûts and demi-muids, and then for 20 months 'sur lattes', like all of the Ruppert-Leroy champagnes there is a beautiful tension and feeling of controlled energy.