Jerome Prevost

Jérôme Prevost founded his own winery in 1987 after inheriting a plot of vines from his grandmother. His grandmother had not grown the grapes herself, but she had leased the land out to another winery. In the first few years after its foundation, Jérôme sold the grapes to various négociants (wine merchants). His good friend Anselme Selosse, from the famous Jacques Selosse winery, eventually persuaded him to start his own champagne production. Jérôme was allowed to use Selosse’s cellar, since he did not have one of his own. After four years, he settled in Gueux and set up his own winery there.

The plot covers 2.2 hectares and is located at the foot of Montagne de Reims. The soil is characterized by sand, limestone, and sea fossils from millions of years ago. A very unique terroir indeed! No chemical pesticides or herbicides are used in the vineyard. Everything runs its natural course as much as possible. The same vision is applied in the cellar too. The vinification process takes place with as few interventions as possible. Fermentation happens by indigenous yeast cultures and the wines are not clarified or filtered. The vinification takes place in wooden barrels of 450 – 600 liters.

Their flagship is the Les Beguines cuvée. This is a single grape variety wine of 100% Pinot Meunier. The Extra Brut Grand Cru is his latest release and is made from Chardonnay. This champagne is produced from purchased grapes. These bunches have to go through a strict selection process for low yield, maturity and the terroir they come from. After bottling, the champagnes mature for another three years before being released. Jérôme also produces a rosé, which is marketed under the name Fac Simile. On the labels of the champagnes, you will not find the vintage year. Instead, there is a code that starts with the letters LC, which stands for ‘lot consigne’. This code is an indication of the year of harvest.

The production comprises only 6,000 bottles. This means that Jérôme’s champagnes are very scarce and difficult to obtain. The Extra Brut Grand Cru received 95 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate right from its first release!