Marie-Noëlle Ledru: the Lady of Ambonnay

Grand Cru Ambonnay Extra Brut epitomizes the production of Marie-Noëlle Ledru, a proud and energetic viticultrice.

Each label is a story unto itself and for me this one from Marie-Noëlle Ledru, with its gold lettering on a simple black background, has something that no other Champagne has. What I love most of all, aside from the wine itself, is how the name of the producer is in small letters compared to the big ones in capital letters for the other indications. These include some that are extremely important: Champagne – obviously Grand Cru – to underscore the origin of the quality grapes; Extra Brut, a stylistic affirmation that today is less emphatic than it was when it first appeared on the label; and Ambonnay, its home, the cradle where it came into being.

Amid all these coordinates, thanks to which true Champagne lovers imagine what to expect in the glass, and under the name Marie-Noëlle Ledru is the word, in tiny letters, viticultrice. It is interesting how the word for winegrower is the same in French and Italian and it makes me wonder if an Italian female winemaker would have the audacity to use it on her labels, even if there are certainly some with Madame Ledru’s credentials.

Marie-Noëlle Ledru by now has become a legend among those who produce “Champagne de vignerons” and was one of the pioneers of the movement of Récoltant Manipulant (RM) which has fascinated Italian consumers for over 20 years now and resulted in a recent import surge even of wines from tiny producers. Marie-Noëlle Ledru is not the name of a centuries-old Maison nor it one of an enologist dedicated to RM but that of a viticultrice whose energy and driving force seems to be in contrast with this almost shy and reserved person of a certain age who is always smiling.

In 1980, Marie-Noëlle Ledru took over managing six hectares of vineyards, mostly in Ambonnay and Bouzy, which her father had had since the 1960s, and she is personally involved, with the help of a couple of farm hands, not only with the cultivation of the vineyards but also the production of her Champagne, to the extent that she was given the nickname Lady Pinot Noir. After turning 70, Madame Ledru leased some of her vineyards and halved production, focusing her attention on only two hectares of over-40-year-old vineyards, employing only copper, sulfur and manure.

The wine is made using only stainless steel and Marie-Noëlle Ledru carries out by hand every operation, from the remouage to degorgement, as well as the dosage, done with an artisanal tool. According to Madame Ledru, “wines speak for themselves” and feels her role is that of unleashing all the boldness of Pinot Noir from a terroir that also speaks for itself, finding its purest expression in her village, without fear of showing its austere and expressive pride.

Related Products