The historic Domaine Lagille is being powerfully propelled by the current generation Vincent and his sister Maud. Located in Treslon near the city of Reims, the family’s plantings comprise 7.3 hectares planted mostly to Pinot Meunier, from which they are crafting beautiful and terroir-driven Champagne.

Domaine Lagille

Founded in Treslon in 1818 near the city of Reims, Domaine Lagille owns 7.20 hectares planted mainly to Pinot Meunier, which makes up 55 percent of their vineyards, with the rest being planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The current generation, Vincent, joined the family business in 2012 and has been a driving force of change and improvement at the domain, placing a heavy focus on the work being done in the vineyard, along with moving towards a few special terroir-oriented bottlings that are profound and worth snatching up.

Champagne Lagille works primarily with single varieties for each wine and Vincent has shown exceptional skill working with Pinot Meunier. Vincent has pruned all the vines in Cordon de Royat – something usually reserved for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Grand Cru vineyard sites.

The only blended bottling is the La Grande Réserve, which is composed of equal parts Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. “For the rest, the choice was made to let our terroir speak for itself through each grape variety." Vincent’s focus in the winery is clear: minimal dosage, vinification in barrel, and search for tension and identity in the wines and plots.

In 2005, Elodie left a marketing career at the cooperative La Chablisienne for a chance to work with prestigious vines in Montmains proposed to her family's estate in Chitry-le-Fort. Since taking over, she’s developed a style focusing on freshness and precision with minimal barrel usage across her range. While many of her neighbors focus strictly on regional whites under the Chablis umbrella, Elodie vinifies delicious reds, Rose, Cremant de Bourgogne, and Aligote.

Domaine Elodie Chalmeau

The Chalmeau family has owned vines in Chitry for three generations, dating back to Elodie’s grandfather, who had a few vines spread across the commune of Chitry. Her parents, still mainly farmers, took over the winemaking and viticulture in 1977 and shifted both effort and resources toward the production of wine. By 1984, wine was the sole product being produced by the family.

Elodie, the current owner and operator of the domaine, was working in the marketing department for a local wine cooperative when her parents were offered the opportunity to purchase land in the prestigious premier cru vineyard Montmains. Elodie took this as a sign to give up her post and return to her family’s land in 2005. Elodie has been a force for modernization at the domaine, making major investments in new tanks, a new press, and new harvest equipment.

Her winery covers roughly 20 hectares, and they bottle reds, white, rose, and cremant. A majority of the winemaking is done entirely in stainless steel, excluding a few bottlings of Chablis that see aging in barrels. Besides their parcel in Montmains and a few of their parcels of Chablis village, everything is located in Chitry-le-Fort, near the winery.

Domaine de la Cras was formerly a winery that had fallen into the hands of the city of Dijon; Marc Soyard was chosen from among many applicants to fill the winemaking void, primarily based on his vision for sustainable, organic winemaking, and his incredible experience with the legendary Jean-Yves Bizot.

Domaine de la Cras

"This is not your typical Napa Chardonnay. This is not your usual Chablis. This is something different, new, unique; something for the thoughtful drinkers. " -David

After his winemaking studies, Marc Soyard first experienced winemaking at the Vins de Viennes projact under Rhone legends Pierre Gaillard, Francois Villard & Yves Cuilleron. The Jura native then made his way to Burgundy where he became the vineyard manager for Jean-Yves Bizot, following his tutelage in the cellar as well.

Now, Bizot's hallmark was forever strong viticulture, trying to be as hands-off as possible, but this of course mandates a sharp eye in the vineyard to create the healthiest fruit possible, and thus allow the winemaking process to essentially guide itself. Around this time, the city of Dijon sought an up-and-coming vigneron to take on the Domaine de la Cras, a monopole of great potential within the city. Soyard was elected based strongly on his resume and potential, all for the small price of gifting a number of bottles back to the city each year.

Marc has elevated the land primarily, which can be called either Bourgogne or also Coteaux du Dijon, the only Domaine in Burgundy allowed to do so. The practices in the vineyard and the cellar are largely hands-off, serving to create a vibrant, biodiverse vineyard that will create pure, healthy fruit that in turn will largely need nothing added during the fermentations.

Some new wood is used, depending on the vintage and cuvée; oak is preferred from local forests, and some chestnut and acacia barrels have been utilized. Coteaux is sourced from the lower-elevation vineyards while Cras is from the steeper slopes; Cras will undergo a longer elevage as it is more intensely structured.

Soyard's Coteaux du Dijon Chardonnay "Cras" is no joke; the Cras comes from the steeper part of the slope, adding a brilliant snap to the wines which provides a beautiful verve to his longer elevage in oak, the freshness and breadth playing together perfectly. The clay-based soil with limestone underneath would normally be favored for Pinot Noir, but Soyard's ability to adapt each varietal to his land is adroit.

"Soyard's ability to squeeze in so much flavor will have you admiring his craft, and leaave you engulfed with enjoyment in every sip. " -David

Marc also owns two plots of his own in the Cote d'Or, one parcel of Bourgogne near Ladoix, and another in the Hautes-Cotes de Nuits.