Domaine Hubert Lamy
Brother Frédéric & Rodolphe Minière make Champagne like white Burgundy, in the Selosse style. Frédéric worked with Anselme Selosse in the late 1990's. They are vinified in oak for 8 months in 7 year old (or older barrels) without malolactic fermentation with low dosage.
The vineyards are all located at the rear of the winery in Hermonville, which is unique in that no chalk is found in the soil here - rather it is largely limestone with patches of sand.
Viticulture is organic and the resting wines are chiselled and focussed not dissimilar to Chablis in their mineral, racy style balanced beautifully by richness of fruit and great texture.
The Miniere estate has a long and established history in Hermonville - the most northerly pocket of Champagne. It was founded by Alfred Miniere in 1919 and is now run by his great grandsons, Frederic and Rudolph. As is often the way, especially in Champagne, the domain did not produce and sell wines under its own label for many years, but instead produced wines that were then sold onto larger houses and merchants in Reims.
Pivotal in their journey to becoming a much sought-after producer was the time that Frederic Miniere spent with Anselme Selosse in the late 90s; these experiences opened his eyes to the beauty of extended barrel ageing and the undeniable benefits of organic viticulture. Fred was still studying oenology at the time, but was so inspired by Anselme that he decided it was time to produce and bottle their own wines. Finally, with the help of his brother Rudolph, they launched Miniere as we now know it, in 2007.
The wines that the Miniere brothers make are powerful and concentrated, so it is no surprise that from their eight hectares, they choose to only use only the best and oldest fruit. They farm seven different plots with an average age of 45 years, but many of the vines have started their lives in the early 60s. It is also important to note that Hermonville is home to some interesting terroir; the south-easterly amphitheatre-shaped slopes are covered in sandy-loam soil in the upper reaches, whilst the lower areas are loam, clay and sand.
After the scrupulous work in the vineyards, they have made the decision to put all of their wines through barrel fermentation, lees stirring and extended barrel ageing. They use a mixture of barrel sizes, origins, toastings and ages so as to accentuate different aspects of their Champagnes. Following bottling, the wines will then be aged for a minimum of 5 years - but up to 10 years - for a slow and complex ageing process to help to balance their decision to stop the wines going through malolactic fermentation.