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TANDEM Brut Champagne M & G Heucq NV, Lea & Sandeman

TANDEM

Brut Fleury-la-Rivière Champagne M & G Heucq NV

IN STOCK
Grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Colour White
Origin France, Champagne
Village Fleury-la-Rivière
ABV 12.5%

Tandem because: two grape varieties (50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir), two communes (Fleury-la-Rivière plus a little bit of Damery), two vinification methods (barrel and stainless steel), and two people (Guillaume and Melody Heucq).
Something a little brioche/toffee/chopped nuts about this nose. Nice back-of-palate presence. The acidity has very slightly tannic texture and the bubbles are small but sharp. Lots of texture and on the end, the comforting taste of apple pie, cream and a squeeze of lemon. Drinking range: 2024 - 2027 Rating: 16.5 Tamlyn Currin - www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2024)

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75% Chardonnay from 2014, 25% Pinot Noir. 80% stainless steel, 20% barrel. 60 months sur lattes. Dosage 8 g/l. 3,500 bottles.
Almond flower. Yummy, chewy fruit and density; packed with florals and grilled grapefruit. Some white nuts. Real persistence and interest now but with the capacity to evolve in bottle. Drinking range: 2023 - 2028 Rating: 16.5 + Tamlyn Currin - www.JancisRobinson.com (Jun 2023)

As Guillaume puts it, this is a marriage of two grape varieties (50% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), two vinification methods - barrel and stainless steel, and of course two people - Guillaume and Melody. Very immediately delicious, lovely balance and quite full, on the gourmand side of Chardonnay, creamy with just an appetising little saline touch. 3,500 bottles made from the base: 2014. Dosage is 5g/L. Disgorged: July, 2021.L&S (Oct 2021)

The 2014 Extra Brut Tandem is half Chardonnay, half Pinot Meunier from Fleury-la-Rivière and Damery, made in stainless steel and oak. An initial note of lemony butter soon reveals notions of chalk that lend both dimension and a slightly astringent structure that call for food. Fruit fills this structure out generously with notions of plum, but this really is about soil, depth and beautiful length on a slender body with enticing lemony, salty length. Dosage is 5gr/L. Disgorged: March, 2022. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 93 Anne Krebiehl MW, Vinous.com (Nov 2023)

Champagne M & G Heucq

A five-hectare family vineyard in the attractive village of Fleury-La-Rivière in the Marne valley, a site with a very specific subsoil of 45 million-year-old sandy chalk and clay, which has the peculiarity of being stuffed with fossil shells of impressive abundance and dimensions.

The Heucq family have been vignerons for at least four generations. In 1979 François and Véronique inherited part of the family holdings, and François installed a press and became a récoltant-manipulant. In 2019, their son Guillaume and his wife Melody took over with enthusiasm, brim full of new ideas including, vinification by parcel, vinification in barrel (30%), and the creation of their own marque 'M & G Heucq'.

Nearly all the vineyard is in Fleury-La-Rivière, and it averages 35 years old. They have been HVE3 certified since 2020. Guillaume describes his vines as 'pampered', with minimal inputs, grassed over and ploughed under the rows. Treatments are organic where possible - he estimates 80%. The object is to pick perfect grapes and press them gently in order to realise their three blended cuvées and four cuvées parcellaires. The wines are given a dose of SO2 under the press and then fermented using a mix of indigenous and selected yeasts, then matured on the lees in a reductive state, so that they do not need further SO2 until bottling, and this he keeps to the bare minimum. By far the largest cuvée is the 'Fossile' blend, with two of the parcel cuvées being only 500 bottles each. Guillaume won the prize from the Jeunes Talents du Champagne group of qualitatively-minded young vignerons for this first release of 'Fossile' in 2021.

Drink le Tour 2026

The Drink Le Tour Mixed Case: A 12-Bottle Journey Through Terroir and Topography
There is a profound connection between the gruelling topography of a grand tour and the terroir that affects great wine. The steep escarpments that test the explosive climbing power of the peloton are the very same bedrocks that force vine roots deep into the earth, yielding wines of crystalline minerality and tension. As the cyclists gear up for the grand tour, we have assembled the ultimate spectators companion: the Drink Le Tour collection. This 12-bottle mixed case lets you taste the terrain exactly as the riders cross it, complete with a bespoke, exclusive A4 infographic map in every box to help you navigate the route.
Taste the Route Stage by Stage:

  • Stage 1: 2023 ACÚSTIC BLANC, Acústic Celler: The journey begins in the punishing heat of the Pyrenean foothills. This brilliant, old-vine Garnacha Blanca offers a wine of profound structural concentration that mirrors the arid, rocky terrain.

  • Stage 4: JEAN-LOUIS DENOIS Méthode Traditionelle Chardonnay-Pinot Noir Brut: As the route flattens into the windswept Languedoc plateaus, we pause for a high-altitude, maverick Pyrenean fizz that beautifully rivals true Champagne.

  • Stage 4: 2021 FIGURE LIBRE Chenin Blanc, Domaine Gayda: A rebellious white wine crafted to defy regional Languedoc conventions with its striking purity and energy.

  • Stage 4: 2022 FIGURE LIBRE Cabernet Franc, Domaine Gayda: The red counterpart to Gayda's rebellious spirit, offering an authentic, expressive, and unadulterated varietal profile.

  • Stage 7: 2019 CHÂTEAU L'ARGENTEYRE Cru Bourgeois Médoc: Sweeping across the Atlantic coastal flats of Bordeaux, this Left Bank red delivers exceptional structure and classic succulent fruit.

  • Stage 7: 2020 LE PESSAC-LÉOGNAN du Domaine de Chevalier: A grand addition showcasing the aristocratic, pine-sheltered elegance and balance of a legendary estate.

  • Stage 11: 2024 SANCERRE Chavignol, Domaine Delaporte: The climbing truly begins in the central Loire. This electric Sancerre perfectly captures the blinding white chalk of the famous Monts Damnés.

  • Stage 12: 2022 BOURGOGNE BLANC, Rémi Jobard: Dropping into the Burgundian heartland, this bottle represents the first step in tasting the region's microscopic geographical fractures.

  • Stage 12: 2022 GIVRY Blanc Clos des Vignes Rondes, Domaine François Lumpp: A luminous and beautifully precise white Burgundy that highlights the exceptional potential of the Côte Chalonnaise.

  • Stage 12: 2022 MERCUREY Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Raquillet: A robust, deeply textured red Burgundy crafted from old vines that anchors the midsection of our tasting journey.

  • Stage 14: 2023 RIBEAUVILLÉ, Domaine Marcel Deiss: The final attritional climbs of the Vosges mountains are rewarded by a profound, co-planted Alsatian field blend grown on a highly complex geological fault line.

  • Stage 21: TANDEM Brut Fleury-la-Rivière, Champagne M & G Heucq NV: As the finish line approaches, we celebrate in the Marne Valley with this deeply complex, autolytic, and celebratory grower Champagne.

Let the athletes do the sweating. All you need is a corkscrew and a glass to enjoy the ultimate grand tour. ```[cite: 10]

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