The Rising Star of the Massif de Saint-Thierry

In Pévy, a small village tucked into the rolling slopes of the Massif de Saint-Thierry, Fabien Hautbois is quietly rewriting expectations of what champagne from this northern terroir may be. At Champagne Hautbois, he works with an uncommon mixture of vessels, oak, acacia, and clay amphora, and an equally uncommon mixture of grapes, reviving forgotten varieties and difficult the dominance of the “large three.” His cellar holds a rare treasure: a whole lot of magnums of reserve wine, fermented in a mode impressed by Bollinger’s famed “quart de mousse,” but scaled to his small household domaine. Over the subsequent few years, these will type the spine of Hautbois’ most enjoyable releases. I sat down with Fabien to style some vins clairs and speak about terroir, uncommon grapes, and the sluggish, deliberate persistence behind really distinctive champagne.

Fabien: Pévy sits within the Massif de Saint-Thierry, the northernmost winegrowing space in Champagne, simply seven kilometres from Reims. It’s a panorama the place vineyards and forests sit aspect by aspect, like a inexperienced amphitheatre. Traditionally, this was the “Montagne de Saint-Thierry,” well-known for its wines way back to the twelfth century, after they had been exported by the markets of Hermonville and Cormicy.

My household has been right here for 5 generations. My father, Jean Pol Hautbois, based the village cooperative in 1976, named Champagne Jean Pol Hautbois. In 2012, my sister Sandrine and I started creating our personal label, Champagne Hautbois, from a few of our greatest plots, bringing collectively trendy winemaking concepts with the deep-rooted traditions of our village. It’s a approach of exhibiting the total potential of Pévy’s terroir, whereas staying true to the heritage we’ve inherited.

The plots we’ve got chosen face largely south, with well-drained soils stuffed with fossilised shells that heat rapidly in spring, sandy loam over chalk, giving each ripeness and freshness. The Massif has a barely cooler local weather than the Montagne de Reims, which helps protect acidity, and a better proportion of Pinot Noir and Meunier, a legacy from when the realm was a significant supply of nonetheless crimson wine for Champagne. For me, Pévy provides magnificence and elevate, with floral notes and supple fruit, however at all times underpinned by that Massif signature: a tremendous, nearly ethereal stability between generosity and freshness.

The gorgeous amphitheatre of vines and subsoil stuffed with fossilised shells.

The 2 cuvées which finest characterize the terroir of the village are La Porte Goliva and Les Leurys. These single plot cuvées come from opposit sides of the village, Les Leury is planted in 100% Chardonnay, and La Porte Goliva is 100% Meunier (it’s named after the gate to Pévy which was fortified within the center ages). Each cuvées are non vintages aged in oak, blended with a solera single plot solera courting again 4 years now. As time goes by, these releases will get much more complicated and expressive.

Fabien: Oak is my mainstay, largely previous barrels, as a result of I’m not on the lookout for robust vanilla notes however for the micro-oxygenation that helps the wine evolve gracefully. Acacia is extra uncommon in Champagne, and I prefer it for sure white grape parcels as a result of it retains the freshness with out the toastiness of oak. Amphora is a distinct story: it provides a pure, nearly crystalline expression of fruit and terroir, as a result of there’s no flavour pickup from the vessel. I’ve an amphora particularly for my forgotten grapes, and I wish to share the good potential that these uncommon grapes have.

For me, utilizing these totally different supplies is like having a painter’s palette. I’d vinify the identical winery in oak and amphora, then mix them to create extra layers of texture and aroma.

Fabien: First, as a result of it’s a part of our heritage. Grapes like Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, or Pinot Gris had been as soon as way more widespread right here, and so they carry qualities we’re going to want sooner or later, particularly with local weather change. Arbanne, for instance, has naturally excessive acidity even in heat years, whereas Petit Meslier may give unbelievable aromatics. In addition they create blends with extra complexity and resilience. I’m not all in favour of reviving them only for the sake of rarity; I see them as instruments for making balanced, distinctive wines within the a long time forward.

Fabien: Endurance, and magnums! Over the previous years I’ve been build up a reserve of wines fermented in magnum, within the type often called “quart de mousse” or “petite mousse” which is utilized by well-known homes like Bollinger and AR Lenoble. This technique entails bottling reserve wines with 1 / 4 of the conventional quantity of sugar for a full fermentation. This creates a restricted fermentation which permits for mico-oxygentation to protect the wine. For a small property, it’s fairly a dedication. After I spoke to a few of the crew at Bollinger, they had been genuinely shocked at how a lot I’d put aside, for them it’s regular, however for me it’s an enormous funding of area, wine, and time.

These magnum reserves add a depth and richness that you could’t get every other approach. You’ll begin to see them within the blends from the subsequent launch, however the true influence will come over the subsequent two to 4 years. For me, it’s about leaving a signature, a generosity and complexity that claims, unmistakably, “that is Hautbois.”