Lacourte Godbillon

Lacourte-Godbillon is a grower champagne from Écueil, a premier cru village on the western slopes of the Montagne de Reims. The house is a récoltant-manipulant: the family makes its champagnes exclusively from grapes grown on its own parcels. By its own account, it has been passing on its knowledge for more than four generations.

From the cooperative to a brand of their own

The roots go back to the years after the Second World War. In 1947 the grandparents began making and selling champagne, at first under the labels Lacourte-Labasse and Godbillon-Marie. In 1968 came the first independent harvest from Jean-Guy Lacourte and Claudine Godbillon, who founded their own brand, Lacourte-Godbillon. At that time they still delivered most of their grapes to the local cooperative.

In 2006 Géraldine Lacourte and her husband Richard Desvignes left their executive careers in the city and took over the family estate. In 2014 they opened a modern pressing and winemaking hall.

Vines and way of working

The 8 hectares are planted 85% to Pinot Noir and 15% to Chardonnay, with 50 ares in the neighbouring village of Les Mesneux. The vines average around 30 years of age. Since 2010 the house has avoided chemical inputs in the vineyard, and in 2017 it joined the AB label. The estate has been certified organic since 2020. A move to biodynamics followed later. The oak for the barrels in which part of the wines mature comes from the forest of Écueil.

The cuvées

• Terroirs d'Ecueil: the house's signature cuvée, 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay, with a dosage of 3 g/l
• Rosé: 100% Pinot Noir, part of it aged in oak barrels
• Mi-Pentes: a blanc de noirs from 100% Pinot Noir grown on the mid-slope sites of Écueil, with no dosage
• Chaillots, Chaillots Hautes Vignes and Millésime: the house's single-site and vintage champagnes

Visiting and tasting

The estate welcomes guests for tastings in Écueil; please book in advance. The address is 16 Rue des Aillys, 51500 Écueil. You can reach the house by telephone on +33 3 26 49 74 75.