Le Mont Benoit, Emmanuel's hill, is an old vineyard - some vines dating to the mid-20th century - that is home to some of the most famous Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier in all the land. Why, you ask? Well, in Emmanuel's hands, the wines seem greater than the sum of their parts, as he extracts the most complex and divine flavors from his fruit.
A purist by nature, Emmanuel uses no chemicals at all; in the winery, the fermentations are started only with native yeasts, and his pressing is done in the smallest allowable amounts, controlled to draw out the most delicate of flavors possible. Only the very best juice is preserved for his wines; if this all sounds painstaking and like very little wine is produced, well, that is correct. Take for instance Emmanuel's 2009 Haut Meuniers - a grand total of 546 bottles were produced, and Emmanuel himself did not taste the wine, that of the birth year of his daughter, again until 2021 when a collector friend brought a bottle on a visit.
The titular bottling is a blend of two consecutive vintages, usually utilizing all 3 grapes and bottled with very little dosage. Originally, Emmanuel used to release LMB in two different dosage levels, but eventually did away with that practice.
Hauts Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay from the top of the Mont Benoit hill, utilizing the very heart of the press cycle - only the finest juice - and then vinified in 350L oak barrels, where it will age an additional year. Seductive, complex and concentrated, prepare to spend a full evening with this wine.
Similar to the Hauts Chardonnay, Hauts Meuniers is 100% Meunier, deep, smoky and wildly complex. The coeur de cuvée is vinified in 350L barrels - and aged an additional year there. Usually bottled without dosage as the wine has gorgeous texture and is amply ripe.
He has also created a rosé from a friend's vineyards, done in a saignée method and full of brambly, spicy red fruits.
