Champagne Simon Rion - Larmes de Meunier 2022

A stone's throw from Reims, in the village of Courmas, Simon Rion has been making champagne his own way since 2007. Fourth generation, 2.15 hectares, and an approach that revolves entirely around the soil: worked mechanically, without chemical fertiliser, with respect for the old vines his father and grandfather planted.

Larmes de Meunier comes from a single plot: Noron in Courmas, with Pinot Meunier vines planted in 1975 by Simon's father. Clay soil, south-westerly exposure, fifty-year-old roots. The grapes go one hundred percent into oak barrels, stay eleven months on the full lees with regular bâtonnage, and then age for another thirty months in the cellar. With a dosage of only 1 gram per litre, this is Meunier in its purest form. Only 793 bottles and 40 magnums produced.