Almost a month from the end of the harvest set for September 16th, producers in Champagne are busy making their wines. Autumn is undoubtedly the most fascinating season to enjoy the landscapes of Champagne with its enchanting colors and, considering the numerous events of the period, including the “Champagne et vous” Festival and the events organized for Champagne day on 27 October, planning a visit during this period is certainly an excellent idea.
The months of October, November, up to mid-December also coincide with the vine pruning phase, a fundamental operation to prepare the plants for winter; with the fall of the leaves the vine will enter the phase of vegetative rest which will continue until the next budding in spring.
In the next paragraphs we want to introduce you to some new producers recently added to our GLUGULP! online shop and that we recommend to follow carefully, young revelations of recent times who, with their skills, are creating their aura of uniqueness in the vast panorama of Champagne.
It was 2017 when Alexandre Chaillon, an engineer by training, decided to return to Champagne and take over his mother's vineyards to give a new identity to the family business. The Domaine that bears his name is located in Aÿ, in the Vallée de la Marne, while the vineyards extend into the Coteaux Sud D'Epèrnay (Pierry and Brugny – Vandancourt) and have been certified organic since 2020. Alexandre, in fact, is a great supporter of organic agriculture, a vision that he pursues with conviction also through the Groupe des Jeunes Viticulteurs de Champagne, an association that represents and defends the interests of young winemakers in Champagne and of which he is President. In his wines Alexandre is looking for expression, structure and depth, which is why he favors the use of wood and cement, using 228 and 300 liter tonneaux and stoneware eggs for the fermentation and aging process.If you like taut, straight and deep Champagnes we recommend his Champagne Extra Brut Duo De Breux, produced for only 423 bottles. Blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 2018 harvest, vinified in a single new tonneau with aging for 12 months.
Rémy's passion for this extraordinary land and the knowledge acquired by the family of winemakers now in their fourth generation were the impetus for the creation of his Rémy Lequeux-Mercier brand and for the elaboration of his cuvées according to his own winemaking style and refinement. Rémy Lequeux-Mercier Champagnes are fresh and saline Champagnes, produced with 100% Meunier grapes; Made-to-measure Champagne, with a clear identity and characteristics of the parcels terroirs, located in the Passy-sur-Marne Cru, in the Vallée de la Marne, from which the grapes come from. His Champagne Brut Nature Un Brin de Meunier, 100% Meunier from the 2013 harvest, is the result of 100% vinification and aging in steel for a final result with an impact of richness, elegance and salinity.
Among controversy and acclaim, Romain Henin has made a lot of headlines over the last year, bringing attention back to the foreground on the Champagnes of his father Pascal, historic Vigneron of the Vallée de la Marne. Despite different visions in terms of vineyard management and winemaking, the collaboration between the two has generated quality, structured and precise Champagnes, identifying Champagnes that represent the character of the Aÿ terroir. Today they can be considered "transitional" Champagnes, a compromise between Pascal's mature vision, rooted in tradition and a more classic style, and Romain's more innovative and experimental one. There are those who love it and those who criticize, we have to wait for the next releases to understand how Romain will reinterpret the Henin Champagnes, the "handover" from father to son has begun. The Champagne Extra Brut Blanc Comme Neige is the latest cuvèe that sees the collaboration between the two. 100% Chardonnay from grapes from the vineyards of the family Domaine in Chouilly, based on the 2018 harvest (label by BUR artist) and 2015 (label by MAZA artist) with a dosage of 3 g/l performed with the must from the 2022 harvest made by Romain.
In 2014 the sisters Margot and Charlotte, third generation of the Oudiette family, decided to enter into the management of the familiar Domaine alongside their mother Florence and developing the business by creating the B&B “La Poterne” in Epernay and starting the Sensations Vigneronnes project, a fun and gastronomic experience organized in the Oudiette x Filles estate. Their Champagne Extra Brut Uniterre II is the second edition of their first cuvèe produced, the Champagne Uniterre. 100% Chardonnay from the vineyards of some owned lieux-dits located near Beaunay, in the Vallée du Petit Morin, it is a Champagne that fully represents the style and philosophy of the Domaine which proposes a vinification process without too many interventions, spontaneous malolactic fermentation, no refrigeration or filtration process with maturation in futs de chêne. Structure and aromatic richness are the characteristics of Champagne Uniterre II, in which the fruity notes give way to salinity and lively acidity.
The Girard-Bonnet Champagnes are the result of the commitment of the young Paul Girard, the last generation of the Girards who gave a turning point to the activity of the family Domaine. Paul initiated a process of organic and biodynamic conversion of the vineyard and introduced new agricultural techniques based on a personalized approach to individual vines based on age, location and exposure. Paul Girard's journey also explores different fermentation techniques through the use of barrels of different sizes, vats, amphorae and steel tanks. The Champagne Extra Brut A mi-chemin 100% Chardonnay is the purest representation of the Grand Cru terroirs of Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and of the cellar experiments of this young Vigneron gifted with unquestionable talent.
With the three brothers Jean-Philippe, Pierre-Louis and Inès, the management of the Domaine Waris Larmandier has rediscovered new motivations and impulses, just as the Champagnes of the Domaine have regained that distinct and original personality, and that identifying character also reflected in the extraordinary terroir of the Grand Cru of Avize. That of Waris Larmandier is a large and lively collection of Champagne among which the Champagne Les Terres Des Buissons stands out, a 2014 Millésimé 100% Chardonnay, fresh and mineral, which gives voice to the terroir of the Côte des Blancs, where Chardonnay reaches its maximum expression.
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