Champagne Laurent Bénard - Vignoble des Sept Arpents

Champagne Laurent Bénard is a confidential brand created by Laurent and Michelle Bénard in 2009, in addition to the original brand which they took over in 1991. This now covers 2.5 hectares and 12,000 bottles but is set to grow with the arrival of the 4th generation of winegrowers that Charles, their son, represents. Laurent was motivated to bring out the best of his terroir, to let it express itself and not to restrict it, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. We are located in Mareuil- sur-Aÿ and its surrounding villages, characterized by light soils and chalky subsoils, and southern exposures giving wines with amplitude but always freshness. We seek to work as best we can to respect our soil and our plants, and continue to constantly reflect on the evolution of our practices. We seek to practice the cleanest possible viticulture by putting the vines and ourselves back into a rich and healthy ecosystem. We promote collaboration with natural (plants, animals) and local resources as well as sober techniques (grassing of the soil, late mowing, re-grafting of vines in place, mass selections). In the cellar, we only want to accompany the wine in its evolution, and not force it to be something else. Thus we carry out the fermentations using spontaneous sourdough, we minimize or even avoid the addition of sulfur, as well as other inputs not necessary for the proper development of the wine. We work with several different containers considering that each wine has its container which allows it its most beautiful expression. The dosage remains low or even zero in order to reveal the true nature of the wine.