NV Extra Brut Les Beguines LB 22 - WA 96

Jerome Prevost’s NV Les Beguines (LB22) has emerged beautifully despite the arid, sun-drenched 2022 growing season, which generally yielded a lower juice-to-solids ratio. Jerome Prevost recalls that the vines’ leaves turned yellow and began to drop earlier than usual due to drought stress - a consequence not unexpected, as sandy soils retain significantly less water than chalk. Disgorged in October 2024 without dosage but containing six grams per liter of residual sugar, the wine is exclusively from the 2022 harvest. It opens with an evocative bouquet of pear, orange zest and warming spices mingling with notes of buckwheat and toast. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, textural and concentrated, with a pillowy mousse and lively acidity, concluding with precise, chalky finish. As ever, it will richly reward a few years of cellaring, as bottle age brings out additional complexity.