Bancroft Wines start to import our wines in the UK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Valentin Leflaive Champagne joins the Bancroft portfolio.

Bancroft Wines is delighted to announce its appointment as the exclusive UK agent for Valentin Leflaive, one of the most innovative producers in Champagne today and one of over 40 exceptional producers to have joined Bancroft in recent months.

Jean Soubeyrand, CEO of Oliver Leflaive and Valentin Leflaive writes: ‘We are thrilled about this new partnership with Bancroft Wines. Our historical expertise and understanding of the Leflaive family’s climats in Burgundy are translated through a unique selection of plots in Champagne, and certain specific crus where the terroir is perfectly adapted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Valentin Leflaive marks a new chapter in the Leflaive family history bringing together the very best of what the Burgundy and Champagne regions have to offer.’

James Snoxell, Fine Wine Buyer at Bancroft Wines comments: ‘We admire this unique project to make fantastic, terroir driven Champagnes which reflect the unique character of this region’s most prized terroirs and grape varieties. Combining the expertise and traditions of two great wine growing regions, Valentin Leflaive takes a refreshingly new approach to Champagne. We are delighted that Valentin Leflaive has joined our portfolio and look forward to introducing these exciting wines to a diverse customer base in the UK’.

About Valentin Leflaive Champagne

‘Valentin Leflaive Champagne is an invitation to reinvention, to escape from the usual codes.’Olivier Leflaive

Valentin Leflaive Champagne reflects a life-long ambition of Olivier and his family to produce an exceptional sparkling wine. Named after Olivier’s son, it brings together the expertise and traditions of Burgundy and Champagne and offers a unique interpretation of this region’s grape varieties and terroirs.

Launched in 2015, Valentin Leflaive was granted the status of ‘négociant-manipulant’ in 2020 enabling the company to manage the whole production chain including the purchase of grapes. A boutique winery was opened in Oger with a traditional ageing cellar dug deep into the chalk. Chef de Caves Christophe Pitois, who looks after the important relationship with the growers, is assisted by talented enologist Clément Galois. Both are from the Champagne region.

The grapes are sourced from five premier crus and seven grand crus including Verzenay, Avize and Le Mesnil sur Oger. Following a traditional Burgundian approach, individual plots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are vinified separately to reveal the true character of each terroir. In the winery, stainless-steel vats rub shoulders with traditional 228 litre Burgundy barrels or pièces, previously used at Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet, while a large oak foudre is used to mature wine from specific vineyard sites.

The range consists of an Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs and a Brut Rosé and, from this year, three Grand Crus: two Blanc de Blancs from the prestigious Grands Crus of Avize and Mesnil-sur-Oger and one Blanc de Noirs from the highly sought-after Grand Cru of Verzenay. Offering a fresh and innovative approach, each cuvée has a unique code on the label with the letters referring to the terroir while the numbers indicate the year of the base wine and the dosage (e.g. in Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs CA 15 40, ‘CA’ means Cramant and Avize, ‘15’ is the year the base wine was blended while ‘40’ refers to 4.0 g of sugar per litre).

Bancroft Wines will be shipping a selection of these champagnes in the next few weeks. Along with the exclusive distribution for Valentin Leflaive Champagne, Bancroft is also delighted to have been appointed as a distributor for Olivier Leflaive from Puligny-Montrachet.

The Champagnes 

Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs CA 15 40 
100% Chardonnay from the finest terroirs on the prestigious Côte des Blancs, this is a finely balanced champagne with enveloping citrus and floral notes on the palate. 

Brut Rosé BA 17 80 
100% Pinot Noir from Bouzy and Ambonnay, the nose displays scents of strawberries and raspberries with delicate redcurrant and blackcurrant fruits on the palate. 

Grand Cru Verzenay Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs 15 40 
A very elegant champagne with redcurrant and raspberry scents on the nose and a subtle palate of red berry fruits and a hint of spice – the most graceful of the cuvées. 

Grand Cru Avize Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs 15 40
A complex and delicate champagne which reveals a bouquet of white flowers and lemon zest notes leading to an elegant citrus palate with a refreshing mineral character. 

Grand Cru Le Mesnil Sur Oger Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs 15 50
An aromatic Champagne with a bright bouquet of citrus fruits leading to a refreshing palate with an energetic mineral finish – a classic expression of this famous Grand Cru. 

Further images and content are available by request.