Lancelot Courtois

Jean-Paul Lancelot farms just 4 hectares of Chardonnay, all in Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs — Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Chouilly. The vineyards are divided into numerous small parcels and worked at notably low yields, prioritizing concentration and site expression over volume. Viticulture is traditional and hands-on, with a clear emphasis on old vines and long-term vineyard health. Fermentations are carried out in enameled steel tanks, preserving purity and tension, and the wines are aged extensively on the lees to build texture and complexity without sacrificing precision. Sylvie Lancelot manages the business side of the domaine, while daughterÉmilie and son-in-law Benoît are now fully integrated into the estate’s viticultural and cellar work. 

The Vieilles Vignes cuvée is drawn exclusively from the estate’s two oldest parcels: Les Monts Chenevaux in Oger (planted in 1953) and Les Monts Aigous in Chouilly (planted in 1957), the latter directly adjoining one of Moët & Chandon’s principal vineyards for Dom Pérignon. These mature vines deliver naturally low yields, high dry extract, and deep chalk-driven minerality. Long lees aging and restrained dosage frame the wine’s naturally low pH and tension, resulting in a Blanc de Blancs of structure, precision, and longevity — a benchmark expression of old-vine Grand Cru Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs.