As the weekend winds down, the Lambier Wines team is immersed in passionate discussions while glasses are filled with champagne from respected independent producers. In this fun environment, where ideas flow as freely as the champagne in the glasses, a heated discussion unfolds about history and innovation, anchored by the influence of a pioneering figure - Anselme Selosse.
Throughout Champagne, followers of Selosse's teachings are scattered. One of them is Alexandre Chartogne-Taillet, a mad experimenter in Merfy, an unclassified commune in Montagne de Reims. Alexandre is not a biodynamicist, but he has sheep grazing in between the rows and plows the plots with the help of horses. Biodiversity in the vineyards is paramount. Things are even more interesting in the cellar. Depending on the cuvée, he ferments in steel, oak, cement, and even clay amphorae.
In Grand Cru Avize, the fiefdom of Chardonnay, another iconic character, Pascal Agrapart, is at work. He looks after his 12 hectares in several grands crus in the Côte de Blancs with great care, preaching an organic approach, although he is not at all interested in certificates and other labels. He ferments on natural yeasts, so the terroir is more visible. Some of the wine is aged in old 600-litre barrels, and a few cuvées are left to age under natural cork.
Bérêche et Fils in Ludes (Montagne-de-Reims) also prefers natural cork, as it gives the wine more character. Raphaël Bereche has abandoned malolactic and filtration, and disgorgement is carried out by hand.
Other interesting characters have also gathered there, in Montagne de Reims. For example, the wines of Egly-Ouriet from the commune of Ambonnay are called "Burgundy with bubbles". Egly owns 12 hectares, including Les Crayères, as well as plots in Bouzy and Verzenay. Like his friend Selosse, he tends the old vines of pinot noir and chardonnay according to organic principles, reduces yields, vinifies each parcel individually (you should see his impressive fleet of barrels!), and piously believes in minimal intervention in the process. Super long aging on the lees is his trademark.
"Each recoltant has its methods and tricks, among them aging the wine under a natural cork, solera for reserve wines, or MCR instead of dosage liqueur"
Larmandier-Bernier is another iconic character in Champagne. Pierre has 16 hectares spread across the villages, including the grands crus of Avize, Cramant, Oger, and Chouilly. He is also a member of a group of biodynamicists and natural yeast enthusiasts and also makes extensive use of oak. In particular, he relies on foudres, where he believes the wine "breathes" freely and easily.
As the weekend draws to a close, these vignettes form a testament to the diverse paths carved by these independent Champagne virtuosos. Their wines, nurtured by tradition and elevated by innovation, are a testament to the endless possibilities within a single effervescent sip.
The recoltants in this article: