ADRIEN RENOIR CHAMPAGNE GRAND CRU le TERROIR EXTRA BRUT NV

Crafted from forty-year-old vines in the Grand Cru village of Verzy, this extra special Extra Brut is a wonderfully detailed Champagne of real beauty. There's a little flourish of citrus but otherwise it's about super clean lines of crisp acidity supported with a gentle hint of brioche leesy development. Sharply focussed, but not harsh, it's a wonderful aperitif Champagne.

For four generations, the Renoir family have farmed vineyards around the northern end of Champagne, with seven hectares of vines situated in the celebrated grand cru village of Verzy. Adrien Renoir is the latest custodian of this family legacy, and he's taking things on a different tack – since taking control in 2016, he's converted the Renoir vineyards to organic and biodynamic production and pushed the style of Champagne made from the family plots into a whole new era.

Adrien's winemaking style is as much modern as it is very traditional – the wines are all matured in barrel, with wild yeast fermentation and no temperature control, leading to full, and seriously expressive Champagne that tastes very much alive. Stir in Adrien's preference for ultra-low dosage levels and you have what are remarkably pure, taut and yet seriously mouthfilling Champagne releases that we really like.