Beaumont des Crayères Fleur de Prestige, Brut Champagne 2012

Beaumont des Crayères is in Mardeuil, a village west of Epernay and supplies all three Tanners Champagnes: our house Brut, spécial and rosé.

Established in 1955 it is a highly impressive small co-operative of about 230 growers, with 75 ha under direct control of Chef de Cave, Gauthier Quatrevaux. The vineyards are mostly located around the village in the Marne Valley, with a small number in Cumières, Damery, Dizy, Epernay, Hautvillers, Pierry and Vinay.  Pinot Meunier is the main grape variety grown accounting for 60% of plantings - it performs extremely well on the cooler north-facing slopes and makes wines with a lovely soft fruity expression. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay make up the balance. Pinot Meunier gives fruit character and roundness; Pinot Noir length and body; and Chardonnay finesse and freshness. The co-operative uses only its own grapes, and is driven in its pursuit of quality employing strict selection to produce the best Champagnes. Most of the work in the vineyard is by hand from tending the vines to harvesting at vintage time. Their first vintage was in 1958 and today they produce 600,000 bottles a year which is exported globally. The name Beaumont des Crayères comes directly from one of the finest hillside vineyards in Mardeuil, ‘Beaumont’ translating as ‘beautiful hill’ and Crayères referring to the hill’s chalk subsoils on which the vines grow.