Champagne Briaux Lenique Cuvée Les Semons NV

Founded in 1965 by Pol Briaux and Christiane Lenique, Champagne Briaux Lenique is a lovely grower Champagne house today run by their daughters, Nathalie and Stéphanie, who changed careers in their 40s to sustainably tend the family’s four hectares in the clay-limestone slopes around Mardeuil, close to Épernay in the heart of the Marne Valley. What began as a modest grower’s dream has evolved into a house where each vine is still personally tended and each cuvée reflects the Marne Valley’s balance of rich fruit and finesse. Today, the domaine combines inherited know-how with a deep respect for nature, crafting Champagnes that feel intimate, expressive, and planted in their terroir.

Cuvée Les Semons NV is a vivid expression of the Marne Valley, made from a graceful blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir that gives it both elegance and structure. It carries amazing freshness and depth, a testament to its thoughtful, hands-on winemaking. The fruit is vinified primarily in stainless steel to preserve clarity and freshness, with careful temperature control and extended lees aging to build texture and complexity. Les Semons ultimately captures what Briaux Lenique does best… Champagne that feels authentic, unforced, and beautifully expressive.

Opening with an inviting lift of lemon, buttermilk, and baby’s breath flowers before easing into softer notes of wet river stone, the bubbles are fine and energetic, carrying flavors of green apple and bosc pear that give the wine brightness and shape. It’s lively without being sharp, and generous without being heavy, with really classic, Chardonnay-dominated flavors. This is tried-and-true grower Champagne for a charming price of under $50 that we will happily sip on into the fall and well beyond!