Benoît Marguet’s Les Crayeres is perhaps his most patently transparent single-vineyard expression, and that’s saying something because the entire single-vineyard line-up is a study in terroir, right down to the massive vases in his tasting room, which each contain a soil cross-section of one of the five plots. As the name suggests, Les Crayeres boasts the thickest white chalk layer and shallowest top soils of all Marguet’s parcels – it’s only 35cm or so before you reach the chalk, and boy does that come through in the wine. Vivid, chalky aromatics of stunning purity lead the way, followed by linear, crisp notes of lemon and green apple and a lovely tension between lifted white floral notes and faint toasty sourdough. The palate displays marvelous fruit intensity as tangerine, grapefruit, and red apple. Peppery spice accents and a firm, slightly smoky mineral spine form the foundation, while the structure and textural vibrance are just breathtaking. The 2020 Les Crayeres is a stellar achievement by an immensely talented winemaker, and it still has a ways to go before it even reaches its prime.
95 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Champagne Buyer (Oct 2025)
Bitter lemons, pear skin, pie crust and oyster shell undertones to this minerally Champagne. Very fresh, saline and tightly wound, with a medium body, fine bubbles and a very dry, focused, racy finish. 67% chardonnay and 33% pinot noir from Ambonnay. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Disgorged February 2025. Drinkable now, but better in a few years.
95 points, Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling (Jul 2025)
The 2020 Brut Nature Les Crayères Grand Cru is a blend of 67% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Noir picked in the eponymous lieu-dit in Ambonnay from vines planted in 1958 and 1974. A crust of freshly baked sourdough rye mingles with pepper and red apple on the nose. The palate is concentrated and beautifully chalky, with a profound, intense core of ripe peach and juicy apricot flesh. This wine is unusually vivid and wonderfully deep, edged with a lovely hint of saltiness on its ample yet linear body.
94 points, Anne Krebiehl, Vinous (Dec 2025)
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