Benoit Dehu Champagne La Rue des Noyers Brut Nature 2020 750ml

La Rue des Noyers Brut Nature 2020 is Benoît Déhu’s flagship single-vineyard Champagne, produced from 100% Meunier grown in the village of Fossoy on the western edge of the Vallée de la Marne, Champagne, France.

Benoît Déhu is an eighth-generation vigneron whose family estate dates to 1787. After spending several formative years at Champagne Bollinger, Déhu returned to his family domaine and began developing his own highly personal range of naturally farmed, terroir-driven Champagnes.

At the heart of his project is La Rue des Noyers, a 1.7-hectare parcel that Benoît began farming independently in 2011. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically, with approximately 0.40 hectares traditionally worked by horse. The name La Rue des Noyers refers to the trees that once bordered the parcel.

This is an unusually focused Champagne: one vineyard, one grape variety and one vintage. Made entirely from Meunier, La Rue des Noyers is designed to explore the character and potential of a grape that historically played a supporting role in Champagne blends but can produce wines of remarkable depth, energy and complexity when treated as a serious single-vineyard variety.

The wine is fermented and aged in oak barrels, many of which are made from trees harvested in the nearby forest of Fossoy. The wine spends approximately 11 months on its lees in barrel before bottling. It is made with minimal intervention, bottled unfined and unfiltered, and finished as a Brut Nature with no dosage.

The 2020 is a dry, vinous and mineral-driven expression of Meunier, combining ripe orchard fruit and citrus with savory notes, subtle spice, toasted nuances and a pronounced saline character. The oak adds texture and complexity without obscuring the wine’s energetic structure and distinctive sense of place.

La Rue des Noyers captures the signature Déhu style: intense, vibrant and energetic, with beautiful tension and fine minerality. It is a distinctive grower Champagne for those interested in single-parcel wines and the increasingly important role of Meunier among Champagne’s most progressive producers.

Vinous rates the 2020 La Rue des Noyers Brut Nature 89 Points, noting this single-vineyard Champagne within Benoît Déhu’s distinctive range of biodynamically farmed, minimalist wines from the Vallée de la Marne.

Wine Details

Producer: Benoît Déhu
Wine: La Rue des Noyers Brut Nature
Vintage: 2020
Region: Champagne, France
Area: Vallée de la Marne
Village: Fossoy
Vineyard: La Rue des Noyers
Vineyard Size: 1.7 hectares
Grape: 100% Meunier
Farming: Biodynamic; a portion of the vineyard is worked by horse
Vinification: Fermented and aged in oak barrels
Élevage: Approximately 11 months on the lees in barrel
Fining / Filtration: Unfined and unfiltered
Dosage: No dosage / Brut Nature
Rating: Vinous 89 Points
Bottle Size: 750ml