Jérôme Prévost is one of the greatest growers in all of Champagne.
For many, this will sound trite. Prévost has a cult following, and the wines quickly disappear from the market.
There are no Champagnes that we want to drink more often than Prévost's. It's clear that we're not alone. Every time we offer Prévost, there's a rush of orders and then a steady stream of people coming back for more. I'm very happy to have found another parcel of this wine to offer.
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We've told Prévost's story many times, but it's extraordinary enough to repeat once more. The tale begins with a 21-year-old who inherited his grandmother's 2.2 hectares of Meunier (the ugly stepchild of Champagne grapes) in an obscure corner in the northwest of Montagne de Reims.
For over 10 years he simply sold off the grapes. In 1998, his friend Anselme Selosse convinced him to start making his own wines. Things took off quickly from there. By 2006, the wines captured the world's attention. Finding the wines today in any quantity has become incredibly difficult.
Prévost's vines are in Gueux. Here you'll find unique soils. Champagne's famous chalky soils are buried deep under a mix of sand and calcareous clay, laden with sea fossils. Judging from Prévost's wines, something really special happens to Meunier here.
This is a gorgeous example of Les Beguines. It offers up a fair amount of yellow fruits with a shocking amount of energy, refinement, and clarity. The wine's mineral expression is simply profound - you get earthy and saline notes with talc-like grip. Unlike previous vintages that were based on a single vintage, the current release is 60% 2017 and 40% 2016 due to a difficult 2017 harvest.
There's no point belaboring this any further. Most of you are already well aware of Prevost's greatness. I should warn you that this parcel is modest. Please give us your ideal order, and we'll try our best.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media: "The NV (2017) Extra-Brut Les Beguines is a very pretty wine, but it is also quite unusual, in that Jérôme Prévost had no choice but to blend in 40% reserve wines from 2016 to compensate for the inherent shortcomings of the 2017 fruit. The resulting Champagne shows that turned out to be a very smart decision. Rich, creamy and expansive, the 2017 is a decidedly overt Champagne for Prévost that will likely drink well with minimal cellaring. Apricot, honey, chamomile, dried flowers, spice, hazelnut and light honeyed notes all develop in the glass. Soft contours and a rich, vinous feel add to the wine’s considerable sense of immediacy. Interestingly, the 2017 finds lovely freshness with time in the glass, rounding things out very nicely. The Beguines is an unqualified success for a year that saw 100mm of rain in August, just before harvest. Jérôme Prévost disgorged this bottle à la volée, so it is not technically the commercial release, but is certainly super-impressive."