Winemaker’s Dinner – Champagne & Anjou

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Lacourte Godbillon Champagne
The Lacourte-Godbillon estate is a family story that has been passed down through four generations of winegrowers. Initially, the family were winegrowers who sold their grapes to the major champagne houses, the grandparents began producing their own champagne in 1947, before Jean-Guy Lacourte and Claudine Godbillon carried out their first independent harvest in 1968, convinced that only excellence in vineyard work produces great wine. Today, Géraldine Lacourte and Richard Devignes run the estate: after leaving their executive careers in 2006 to return to the vineyard, they discovered that this profession was a true revelation.

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Having settled here in 2004, Céline and Benoît Blet cultivate nearly 12 hectares of vineyards, spread across a constellation of small plots in the heart of a naturally protected landscape. Their estate comprises more than 6 hectares replanted with their own massal selections: Chenin and Chardonnay for the whites, Cabernet Franc, Gamay de Bouze and Pinot Noir for the reds, and Gamay Beaujolais for a small amount of rosé. Working using organic and biodynamic farming methods, in tune with the seasons and the lunar calendar, producing each cuvée as a single-varietal wine, harvesting the Chenin grapes in several passes over the course of a month, then harvesting, vinifying and bottling everything on site: a meticulous approach that embodies a winemakers’ dream, now realised and recognised.