Brut Réserve, Champagne Duval-Leroy NV
Tim Atkin MW 89; Falstaff 94; James Suckling 93; Wine Review Online 92; Guia Penin 91; Decanter World Wine Awards 91; Vinum Wine Magazine 90; Gismondi on Wine 89; Wine Enthusiast 89; La Revue du Vin de France 89; Revista de Vinhos 88; JancisRobinson.com 87; Gilbert & Gaillard 85; Highly Commended and Top 100, Wine Merchant 2025
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Why this wine
One of the last independent family houses in Champagne, and the reserve-heavy blend shows it: 40% reserve wine drawn across roughly 15 crus. Three to four years on fine lees plus full malolactic conversion build the biscuit and chocolate depth that sets this apart from leaner Brut NVs. HVE3-certified farming across a 200-hectare estate, 40% of it Premier and Grand Cru.
At a glance
- Grape
- Pinot Noir 60%, Pinot Meunier 30%, Chardonnay 10%
- Region
- Champagne, France
- Alcohol
- 12.00%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Drink now (1-3 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Poultry & Pork, Seafood, Cheese
How it tastes
Biscuit and toast up front from time on the lees, layered with dark chocolate, cinnamon and roasted yellow fig. Medium-bodied and refreshing, holding that depth against a firm line of acidity through to a long finish. Pinot Noir 60%, Pinot Meunier 30%, Chardonnay 10%.
The producer
Champagne Duval-Leroy was founded in 1859 and remains one of the last independent, family-owned houses in the region, now into a sixth generation. The base is Vertus, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, and the 200-hectare estate has 40% of holdings in Premier and Grand Cru villages across the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. Carol Duval-Leroy led the house for more than thirty years and was the first and so far only woman appointed president of the Association Viticole Champenoise; Julien, Charles and Louis now continue alongside chef de cave Sandrine Logette-Jardin. Farming is HVE3-certified — among the first in Champagne — with grass cover crops, sustainable fertilisers and pheromone confusion in place of insecticides. This cuvée blends roughly 15 crus with 40% reserve wines, hand-harvested and fermented at 18°C in stainless steel; malolactic conversion softens the mouthfeel, and the wine then matures three to four years on fine lees in the underground chalk cellars before disgorgement at 8 g/l dosage.
Food and drinking
Serve at 8–10°C. Roast chicken, smoked haddock, mushroom risotto, or a wedge of aged Comté. Drinking well now and over the next two to three years; no decanting needed. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.