PAUL LAUNOIS

With 6.5 acres of Grand Cru vineyard in the coveted village of Mesnil-sur-Oger, Launois has the most valuable and sought after terroir in all of Champagne. The domaine goes back several generations, but the grapes were historically always sold to the Le Mesnil cooperative. That came to an end in 2015 when Julien Launois and his wife Sarah took over the estate from his father, and they shocked the village by immediately canceling the contract with the co-op. They named the domaine Paul Launois after their young son, and burst onto the world scene with the revolutionary concept of producing single-barrel Champagne. Julien and Sarah's handmade cuveés are as delightful as they are rare. They believe that Champagne is a product of luxury and quality, but also a vector of contacts and openness to the world.