"The vine is what makes the wine. "
The winery
Our love for the land and respect for tradition mean we take care of every last detail as we tend our 5.3 hectare vineyard. We believe it all starts with the vine since, "The vine is what makes the wine."
That's why we made a bold decision in 2012: we stopped using any form of weed killer to give our soil a new lease of life. Positive results and our ambition to protect both the environment and community took us down the organic farming path in 2015.
Our demanding and sustainable transition saw our wine officially recognised as organic in 2018. Our philosophy goes into each and every one of our wines: authentic, energetic and deeply rooted in our land.
The winemaker
Following my HND in viticulture & winemaking and an educational experience in Saint-Estèphe, I joined my parents in the family business in 2000.
At the time, all the winery's produce was allocated to wine merchants. I also founded a company providing vineyard services. I love making red wine and when I began crafting my first Coteaux Champenois in 2011, I realised how much potential our terroirs have.
After years of thought, experiments and primarily belief, I took the plunge and started to make my own champagne. My first vintages were ready in 2014: the first manifestations of a personal journey and powerful drive to produce authentic, honest wine with a real connection to Bouzy.
The vineyards
Since the vines are our work tools and the backbone of our wine, we have total respect for them and they pay it back every day. The average vine on our vineyard is 45 years old, so it captures the depth and maturity of our terroir.Avec un âge moyen de 45 ans, notre vignoble exprime toute la profondeur et la maturité de son terroir.
Every dead vine stock is replaced by massal selection from our signature Les Hauts Clos" plot, which was planted in 1960. It may be a demanding process, but it naturally elevates the diversity of the vineyard to produce more complex, more subtle and completely unique grapes.
We've been making our own compost since 2016 to help our soil flourish and thrive.
Not only do we sow green manure to nurture the soil, but we also aerate, decompact and plough it to keep the vineyard healthy.
We've reintroduced hedgerows and trees to the landscape to encourage biodiversity too. It's our way to empower the vineyard's natural ecosystem and secure a form of viticulture that's alive, sustainable and respectful.
The harvests
Every harvest starts well before the secateurs appear: it all begins with tasting the grapes in the vineyard. That's what helps us decide when to harvest the grapes, when we can taste the richness and depth our wine will have.
When conditions allow, we like to delay ripening to capture a more intense, complex aromatic profile true to our terroir. Every harvest is a mission to achieve the right flavour and make smooth wine full of personality and heart.
The wine cellar
Every vintage is given the love and care it needs to express itself in our wine cellar. Our wine is aged for 10 months on fine lees in a range of carefully-chosen containers to give them finesse, depth and complex aromas: 228l, 400l and 500l barrels and 300l "cigare" barrels.
We only use native yeast in our alcoholic fermentation to capture the terroir's real personality. Malolactic fermentation takes place as standard and gives our wine body and consistency.
Our precious reserve wine ages in vats until it has reached its peak to enrich our blends and produce unique, sleek champagne full of personality.
