PHILOSOPHY
« Respect and excellence »
VITICULTURE
« Timeless terroir »
Convinced that a Great Champagne is born from Great grapes, we take great care of our land and our vines. We are committed to sustainable viticulture, respectful of our Terroir, firmly attached to defending centuries-old know-how.
The vineyard extends over 14 hectares and consists of a mosaic of more than 30 plots. Our preferred grape variety, Chardonnay Grand Cru from Chouilly, shares our heart with Meuniers and Pinot Noirs from Verneuil, in the Marne Valley.
We manage our vineyard with a logic of environmental preservation: By protecting our vineyard through integrated pest management, by soil nutrition (amendments, organic and mineral fertilizers, grassing with multiple varieties of grass, etc.), by working the soil, implementing sexual confusion to avoid insecticides, and by promoting biodiversity (creation of reservoirs and corridors of biodiversity: planting hedges, embankments, groves).
Treasure of the earth
Since our grandfather Roland, the work of the vine has evolved but has remained faithful to his principles. Even today, our vineyard is managed according to his rules:
- "A clean and healthy vine for good wine": to make good Champagne you first need good grapes, and it's the work in the vineyard that determines the quality of the berries.
- "The raw material is paramount": respect the grapes, care for them and work them properly.
- "Do things at the right time": learn to be patient, to redouble efforts, know how to wait for the right moment.
- "Be rigorous, meticulous": be attentive to everything, leave nothing to chance.
- "Use the right product, at the right time, in good conditions, by adapting doses according to the vegetative state": we favor vineyard protection by optimizing phytosanitary product treatments.
With us, time does not flow like elsewhere. Our work is made of patience and meticulousness. From pruning the vine to harvesting the grapes, it's quality that matters. And quality takes time.
Our vines are cherished throughout their lives to ensure their longevity. Because we must live up to our terroir and its reputation.
The visceral attachment to this terroir where we were born and on which we grew up drives us to do everything to preserve it. Our vineyard is a living place in its own right, loaded with history and symbols for our family. This land that we will never leave guides us daily.
VINIFICATION
« Timeless wines »
Throughout the process of creating our cuvées, we ensure to faithfully transcribe all the character of our family and our native land. Our Estate perpetuates tradition by integrating innovation to create exceptional Champagnes.
Natural selection
Before the harvest, sampling allows us to determine the optimal maturity of the grapes, as well as the picking circuit.
From the vine to the press output, only the best counts. An extremely fine selection takes place. The best grapes are picked and then carefully transported to the press. Each plot is pressed in complete independence, to reveal the most promising juices.
Then the wines are carefully placed in a large number of stainless steel tanks of different sizes, in large barrels and in oak barrels. These different containers are used according to the potential of each grape.
The plot-by-plot vinification established a few years ago ensures traceability and precise knowledge of each lieu-dit.
Part of the year's wines refreshes the perpetual reserve whose blend traces the memory of the family vineyard, year after year.
The aromatic palette is very broad to offer infinite possibilities. A new meticulous selection identifies the wines that will constitute the blends, those that symbolize our vision of Champagne. Art and manner combine to give birth to cuvées in our image: identity-driven, almost characteristic, eternally faithful to our terroir. The choice of blend is determined solely by tasting and according to the personal and unique taste of the Champion family.
The range, composed of only 6 cuvées, including some vintages, which then wait between 3 and 7 years in bottle before leaving our cellars. As at all stages, we let time take its time. Champagne thus flourishes in the best conditions. We follow the same state of mind in the cellar: respect, patience and mastery of detail.
Ardent, lively, structured, the wines express themselves in tasting, echoing the chalky typicities of our vineyard. Our Champagne is the reflection of this unalterable bond that unites our family, and the pride we feel for our millennial village.