Vincent Laval – Champagne Les Vignes de Mon Oncle

Overview

Les Vignes de Mon Oncle is a Brut Nature Champagne created by Vincent Laval, blending vins clairs from the 2021 and 2022 vintages. This cuvée unites the three classic Champagne grapes – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier – all aged in fût. With only 11,200 bottles produced, it embodies purity, precision, and the continuity of Laval’s family tradition, while honoring the terroir of Cumières.

The history of the wine

The inspiration arose from tasting the vins clairs, a decisive step in Champagne production. In February 2023, Laval combined the 2021 and 2022 vintages into a unique blend, bottled and later disgorged between March and April 2025 without dosage. The name pays tribute to François, Vincent’s uncle, who had long tended the family’s vines, now reintegrated into the domaine. This project also includes a reserve portion that will be blended with future harvests, ensuring stylistic continuity across vintages.

Vineyard philosophy

The grapes come from Premier Cru vineyards in Cumières, cultivated organically for more than fifty years. The amphitheater-shaped slopes face south, with chalky soils and a warm microclimate that impart both ripeness and minerality. Every step, from pruning to hand harvesting, reflects Laval’s dedication to meticulous, sustainable viticulture that places soil and vine health at the center.

Winemaking approach

In the cellar, Laval follows his guiding principle of respecting nature and raw material. Fermentation is spontaneous, with maturation in fût bringing texture and depth. The blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier undergoes long lees ageing before traditional remuage and dégorgement. No dosage is added, preserving absolute authenticity of terroir. A part of the assemblage has been set aside for future vintages, ensuring stylistic continuity and family legacy.

Tasting notes

• Color: luminous golden yellow with a fine, persistent perlage.

• Nose: ripe citrus, white flowers, yellow stone fruit, dried herbs, and subtle toasted nuances.

• Palate: tense and vertical, with saline attack, incisive minerality, citrus freshness, and creamy texture.

Food pairings

Ideal with oysters, shellfish, carpaccio, and raw seafood, it also pairs well with vegetable-based haute cuisine, fresh cheeses, and refined celebratory dishes.

Technical sheet

• Producer: Vincent Laval

• Name: Champagne Les Vignes de Mon Oncle

• Vintage: N.M. (2021–2022 assemblage)

• Region: Champagne

• Locality: Cumières (Premier Cru)

• Grapes: 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier

• Format: 0.75 l

• Alcohol: 12%

• Dosage: Brut Nature

• Vinification: spontaneous fermentation, élevage in fût, traditional disgorgement

• Bottles produced: 11,200

• Country: France

• Contains sulfites

Domaine Georges Laval – Champagne

A history across centuries

Since 1694, the Laval family has lived and worked in the heart of Champagne, passing down agricultural and artisanal knowledge through six generations. Today, this legacy finds full expression in Vincent Laval, heir of Georges, one of the pioneers of organic viticulture in the region as early as 1971. This tradition is not only heritage but also a responsibility towards the land and the wines it produces. The Laval story is one of coherence and dedication, where for over three centuries the vineyard’s roots have been inseparably tied to the destiny of those who cultivate them.

Philosophy in the vineyard

The domaine is guided by a philosophy based on the absolute rejection of synthetic chemicals, a commitment made more than fifty years ago and still followed with conviction. Across just 4 hectares, every task is carried out manually with meticulous care, ensuring vitality and balance. Biodiversity and soil life are preserved as key elements of this vision. Since 2020, new parcels in Cumières, a Premier Cru village, have enriched the domaine’s mosaic, marking a return to family roots and strengthening its historic bond with the territory.

Approach in the cellar

In the cellar, Laval’s work pursues authenticity and purity. Fermentation takes place spontaneously in wood, with no filtration or fining, allowing the complexity of the grapes to fully express itself. Extended bottle ageing deepens the wines, while manual riddling and traditional disgorgement confirm the domaine’s fidelity to artisanal Champagne methods. Each bottle is the result of a patient and natural process, where human hands guide without forcing, always respecting terroir and vintage.

The terroir of Cumières

At the heart of Laval is Cumières, a Premier Cru terroir shaped like an amphitheater with south-facing slopes, chalky soils, and a warm microclimate. Here grow Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, including vines more than a century old, capable of transmitting profound mineral energy. The parcels, planted between 1955 and 2002, are a living heritage connecting generations and reinforcing the family’s continuity. Laval remains a domaine built on people before hectares, on respect before yield, and on purity before convention.