Why it matters
The producer
In 2018, Hélène Beaugrand split from the family business and created her independent RM label. Her label covers 3 hectares of Montgueux vineyards. Hélène had returned to the family estate in 2008 after wine education in Burgundy and several years making wine in South Africa, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States.
Her family's winemaking tradition began in the early 1900s. The vineyards are at least 45 years old, and the farming uses High Environmental Value methods. Herbicides are excluded, while pesticides are reserved for the rarest occasions and chosen from environmentally friendly options.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Montgueux is a hill 10 kilometres from Troyes in the Aube, south of the Côte des Blancs. The town received AOC Champagne designation in 1927, and the first bottles went on sale in 1930. Its main street is named Léon Beaugrand because the Beaugrand family pushed for the designation.
Soft Turonian limestone and flint soils date to 90 million years ago and give the wines distinctive mineral qualities. The southeast facing vines sit on Upper Cretaceous chalk and clay, with grass cover between the rows.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range comprises six cuvées. Hélène Beaugrand Le Grand Carré Blanc de Blancs is a Blanc de Blancs Champagne, a style made from white grapes. Other cuvées are moving toward lower or zero dosage, and some are made as Brut Nature. Dosage is the sugar addition made after disgorgement, so a lower dosage leaves a drier finish.
Malolactic fermentation is allowed on all wines. This conversion changes sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid, lowering perceived acidity and rounding the palate. The range combines different sweetness levels with a cellar approach that permits malolactic fermentation throughout.