The La Villesenière champagne range is a barrel-fermented clutch of cuvées made under a separate brand by Champagne Claude Michez in the Marne at Boursault, west of Epernay. Cyril and Laurence seem to have remarkable feel for the skills of barrel fermentation and management and word is spreading to Paris restaurants and some European exports. There are 4ha, mostly in Boursault but also in Cuis and Mardeuil, the Marne parcels being all on the north-facing south (left) bank of the river. Viticulture is particularly painstaking, reducing yields and ploughing the soil. They make an unusual champagne in the range: Les Cuteries, a 100% Chardonnay from a single Boursault lieu-dit, a village planted 69% to Pinot Meunier.
Suggested Producers
Champagne Yann Alexandre
We tracked this domaine, based in Courmas on the Petite Montagne de Reims, under the radar , over two years, impressed by the painstaking detail of their vineyard and cellar work and (we think!) the delicacy of their wines. Scala became the sole UK distributor, beating off some stiff competition from other UK interest. Yann […]
Champagne Minière F&R
Miniere’s barrel-fermented champagnes are increasingly in connoisseur’s sights. Brothers Frédéric and Rodolphe Minière (hence F & R) only began to sell their champagnes in 2014 and made their own wine from only 3ha of their 8ha estate in Hermonville, north of Reims. The rest of the grapes were sold off but they are expanding each […]
Champagne Lacourte-Godbillon
Our fond and long-held partnership. We were the first to discover, advise them and import Geraldine and Richard’s wines into the UK from before 2014. They are now exported worldwide. Geraldine Lacourte and Richard Devignes took the bold step with a young family some years ago, to leave their local coop and become a proper […]