Champagne Lallier releases R.020, the tenth iteration in the Réflexion collection and the first created by Dominique Demarville, with a unique design and shape.
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Champagne Lallier has launched R.020, the latest iteration in its Réflexion range of expressions. R.020 is made mainly from grapes harvested in 2020 – a year with near-perfect growing conditions, thanks to dry and sunny weather – making for intense, elegant and persistent wine with white flower flavours and strong notes of fresh citrus.
The innovative Réflexion range brings a fresh perspective on champagne each year. Every Réflexion is a pure quest for excellence and sincerity towards what nature brings, mixing heritage and know-how with an innovative vision on the future of champagne.
Traditionally, non-vintage champagne strives for the same, consistent product year after year. Réflexion, however, employs a contemporary winemaking approach – it expresses and stays true to the individual character of the year’s harvest while always holding to Lallier’s perfectly balanced signature style.
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The launch of the 10th Réflexion cuvée marks a milestone moment for Lallier, representing the true embodiment of the brand’s winemaking philosophy. It is also the first blend by Dominique Demarville in his role as Lallier Cellar Master and General Manager. “I’m very proud to reveal this new cuvée to the world.
“In R.020 brut multi-vintage cuvée, we aim to show a representation of the year 2020, which was a fruitful one in Champagne and, of course, the perfect balance between the four atmospheres of Lallier’s style – freshness, purity, intensity and depth,” said Demarville.
“I’m honoured and proud to be able to contribute to the Réflexion cuvées that Lallier releases [almost] every year and look forward to this special blend being enjoyed across the globe.”
The launch of R.020 multi-vintage brut cuvée sets the stage for a new chapter in the Réflexion collection, revealing a new brand identity and bottle design. An intricate vine leaf embossed across the label symbolises the house’s deep connection to terroir and commitment to nature.
Inspired by Lallier’s beautiful Loridon plot in Aÿ, northeastern France, unexpectedly growing Chardonnay grapes on Pinot Noir land, the singular vine leaf is an ode to Lallier’s fresh perspective. Furthermore, R.020 is presented in an exclusive, elegant bottle shape, unique to Lallier, reinforcing the brand’s modern vision and distinctive voice.
Réflexion was first launched in 2014 with R.010. A cuvée has been released every year since, except in 2017, when the harvest did not meet the high standards required for this cuvée. R.020 is a multi-vintage made from 81-percent of grapes harvested in 2020 with 9-percent from 2018 and 10-percent from 2019.
“The 2020 was another exceptional harvest in quality after 2018 and 2019,” Demarville noted upon the release of R.020.
“Champagne, the region, had an average yield in 2020 with healthy grapes produced. Nature, which went undisturbed due to the unusual environment at that time, flourished greatly. The dry and sunny summer resulted in an early harvest, delivering intense and fresh grapes presenting a high maturity – perfect for what we were looking for to create exquisite wine.”
R.020 multi-vintage brut cuvée, which is aged for minimum 30 months versus the minimum of 15 months required for a brut Champagne, exhibits the perfect balance between the four atmospheres of Lallier’s style.
In the Réflexion blend, and for the first time, Chardonnay overtakes Pinot Noir, at 51 percent in the blend. The ‘dosage’ in this iteration of Réflexion is low at seven grams per litre in line with Lallier philosophy.
On the nose the aromas of this wine are dominated by white flowers and fresh citrus fruit notes while the palate begins with a certain freshness and delicate, silky texture only to finish with a pleasant aromatic persistence and mineral salinity.
R.020 can be enjoyed with fine and fresh dishes such as fish flavoured with citrus fruit or delicate shellfish such as langoustine. A seasonal vegetable tart or a risotto with green asparagus and parmesan shared with friends would also pair beautifully with the blend.
Champagne Lallier is among Campari Group’s newly formed House of RARE portfolio which represents the high-end expressions from the group. RARE is comprised of Champagne and ultra-premium spirits, with Champagne Lallier – considered a relatively new product within the Australian market – standing as the pinnacle brand in the portfolio.
“Lallier is amongst the very few who broke free from the foundational principles of the brut Champagne category by favouring the expression of the base year, over the regularity of the tasting profile,” said Christophe Prat, Managing Director French Icon Brands at Campari.
“While preserving the historic art of Grand Cru winemaking, Lallier clearly wants to step ahead, and Dominique Demarville is the perfect expert and ally to help us challenge the rules while creating perfectly balanced blends every year.
“We’re particularly looking forward to launching brut multi-vintage cuvée R.020, to reveal our refined, graceful new bottle and expressive brand sign which is set to appeal to connoisseurs world-wide,” he added.
The new dedicated Lallier bottle and design will gradually be used across the rest of the core range, to create a harmonious portfolio of qualitative Champagne blends, including Rosé, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Millésimé.
Lallier R.020 brut multi-vintage cuvée (750ml RRP$95) is available for purchase in Australia via houseofrare.com.au, wine.qantas.com and select boutique retailers.
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