Cuvée Marie-Noëlle Ledru. 

A name not seen on a label since 2017. A name that echoes through the most celebrated cellars of Champagne.  And at last, a name that heralds the return of the Queen: ‘Madame Pinot Noir’, one of the finest interpreters of Pinot Noir and of the soul of Ambonnay that the region has ever known.

Having built up a reputation as one of the greatest and most revered grower producers in Ambonnay, Marie-Noëlle Ledru retired in 2017 with just 2ha of Pinot Noir (down from 10ha at the peak in 2010). Most of these grapes are sold off to other producers, and she retains only her two favourite and most cherished parcels of Cercets (0.108ha) and Goisse (0.1294ha). These tiny plots are now tended exclusively by her long time collaborator, friend and neighbour Fabrice Payelle.

The agreement with Fabrice is special and unique, a pledge to continue the philosophy of her life’s work - organic farming, meticulous management, ripe grapes, classic winemaking with no oak, natural yeasts, no fining or filtration, zero dosage. She presses the cuvée together with him using her original press and the must is then vinified in a small cellar Fabrice has built next to hers.

This exquisitely rare and exceptional cuvée marks both a fitting tribute to Marie-Noëlle’s incredible legacy in Champagne, and a vision of the future shaped by those who inherit her vines, her fruit, and her purpose. MNL’s indomitable spirit lives on, in this homage of deep respect and thoughtful evolution.