Hervé Rafflin - 'La Nature'L - 1er Cru Extra Brut' - Champagne - Montagne de Reims, FR - NV

A lovely, classic Champagne with so much more beneath the surface.
On first breath this wine contains multitudes - fresh white florals, bitter yellow apple skins, a vin of ripe crunchy fruit down the middle. This wine... according to my notes... is "dope in every way". A new house champagne for Satellite!
Grapes: 26% Pinot Meunier, 36% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir. 60% 2016 + reserve wines.
Soil/Terroir: 1er cru Chigny les Roses - lignite clay, green marl, Bartonian limestone, Ludian limestone (Upper Eocene, between 41 and 38 million years old), Campanian chalk, colluvium, marl and Thanetian sand.
Farming Practices: Organic (in conversion)
Vinification: Malolactic fermentation with exogenous yeasts and dosage limited to 1.8 g/l.
Aging: Aged in stainless steel tanks for 8 months.
SO2: added at harvest and before bottling.
Alc/Vol: 12.5

Number of bottles produced: 9000

Hervé Rafflin took over his small family winery back in 2001, though his familial roots in Champagne date back to the 1840s. The estate’s 5 hectares are situated in the heart of the Montagne de Reims in the villages of Chigny-les- Roses, Ludes, Rilly la Montagne and Taissy. A little over half of the vines are dedicated Pinot Meunier, with the rest rounded out by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vines average 30-40 years in age and as of 2021 are certified organic. The estate puts out anywhere from 5,000 to 13,000 bottles annually, depending on the vintage. The wines are delicious, unpretentious, and always reflective of the growing season and the unique terroir of the Montagne de Reims. At Rafflin, nature dictates business, not demand.

Name of Domaine: *Champagne Hervé Rafflin
*Year Founded: *1840
*Winemaker: *Hervé Rafflin
*First year at Domaine: *2001
*Winemaking Style: *Traditional
*Location: Ludes, Champagne
Total Holdings: *5ha
*Grapes: *Pinot Meunier (80%), Pinot Noir (5%), Chardonnay (15%)
*Average Vine Age: *30-40 years
*Farming Practices: *Certified Organic
*Number of Workers: *4
*Bottles produced/year: 5000-13,000