Stéphane Regnault "Dorien No. 45" Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc Champagne

Stéphane Regnault is one of Champagne’s most exciting new voices, crafting site-specific wines from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs. "Dorien No. 45" is a single-parcel Chardonnay sourced from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, fermented with native yeasts and aged in a combination of stainless steel and oak.

The nose is strikingly pure, with aromas of citrus blossom, chalk, and green apple, followed by subtle notes of toasted almonds and wet stone. The palate is precise and chiseled, revealing flavors of Meyer lemon, crisp pear, and an intense mineral finish. Bone dry, very long. Appetite-whetting in the extreme. A must-try for lovers of mineral-driven Blanc de Blancs.

If you haven't heard of Stéphane's wines before, that comes at little surprise, as his first release was in 2018. This was not a project put together in haste, but a culmination of over 10 years of careful reflection, experimentation and trials. Prior to 2007, Stéphane had worked as a sommelier in London as well as an aerospace engineer in Paris. One day he gave it all up to take over his family's domaine. Lucky for him, their vineyards (most 40-60 years old) are based in 2 of the best Grand Cru villages in all of champagne - Le Mesnil and Oger.

Inspired and influenced by the conversations he had with other young producers, Stéphane decided to stop using herbicides in the vineyards, and gradually converted to organic and biodynamic farming. He uses natural plant products, teas, essential oils, and biodynamic preparations made from dung, silica, and valerian on his farm. Stéphane also uses macerated nettles at the beginning of the vegetative process to strengthen the vines’ resistance against disease, which allows him to decrease the amount of copper and sulfur used to protect against mildew and powdery mildew.

In the cellar, each parcel is fermented and vinified in a similar fashion - ⅔ in stainless steel tanks and ⅓ in used barrels. Malolactic fermentation is neither blocked nor encouraged - Stéphane allows the wine to take its course each year, tasting regularly to determine the right moment to blend the barrels and tanks into one of the three perpetual solera that are kept separately for each of the three cuvées.

All this leads to an incredible expression of terroir that is unique, unparalleled, and unmistakably alive. Also worth noting, each cuvée is named after a different jazz mode, a nod to Stéphane’s passion for playing the jazz saxophone. Production is teeny tiny and these are virtually nonexistent stateside.