Fabian Daviaux has redefined the concept of a co-op as his numerous growers have committed to his preferred biodyamic viticulture, in turn creating beautifully pure, ripe and delicious Champagnes. What's more, with strong vineyard work comes the need for little - if any - sulfur addition, and most of his wines are never sulfured at all. In the winery, the grapes are allowed to ferment naturally in stainless steel tanks after pressing, with only the Coteaux Champenois Blanc and the Saignée Rosé seeing time in barrel. The rest of the range is crafted to be immediately enjoyable, with incredible freshness and purity of fruit.

Chavost

In Champagne, there is a big generational shift similar to Burgundy. The new generation is taking their families’ domaines and making drastic changes. Being the avid Champagne lovers we are, we couldn’t be more excited.

Fabian from Champagne Chavost is one of those generational movers. He is making quite a splash in defining the idea of a grower, negociant and/or co-op. The trend in recent years has been to look for the term RM, or focus on growers, but this is evolving. Buying land in champagne isn’t easy. Young winemakers are looking for other ways to follow their dreams; buying grapes from growers they trust and operating under negoce is a very suitable option. For example, Fabian still operates under his family’s co-op. Fabian sits on the board of their 5ha co-op and made the decision to declare, “We are going organic”. Albeit aggressive, it was the only way to sway them into organic farming and show that it is the way of the future. Fabian took the time to invest in sharing his goals and passion with members through a series of tastings and educational conversations. This approach has worked quite well. They have gotten a nice portion of their growers to farm organically since 2016. These grapes have since been included in the new wines of Champagne Chavost.

It is Fabian’s goal to add nothing to his wines. He currently adds no sulfur at bottling (a feat quite rare in Champagne). After tasting the wines, we clearly see why. The wines are pure, transparent and easy to drink. In his arsenal, he makes a series of “glu glu” champagnes and wines that are fully no addition. The wines that are sans soufre are the Rose de Saignee, Coteaux Champenois, and the cuvee Eurêka.

Champagne Chavost is located in Chavot-Courcourt. It is an interesting place in Champagne; technically, the village is part of the Coteaux-sud d’ Epernay which acts as a continuation to the Côte de Blancs. When you stand at the top of the vineyard you understand why you are a bit unsure of where you are - you are in the center of Champagne. To your right, the Côte de Blancs, straight ahead is the Montagne de Reims just over the mountainside, towards the left and continuing further you see the Vallee de la Marne. The top of the vineyards are full of limestone moving to more chalk mid slope.

His “Glu Glu” Champagnes are 'made' in the vineyard using organic farming and spontaneous yeasts. Starting fermentation is usually done by gravity. Never seeing any barrel, the wines are drinkable, pure, and all about freshness.

FERMENTATION

Spontaneous yeasts

Temperature controlled to preserve the indigenous yeasts

AGING

4 months in stainless steel tank

At least 20 months in bottle - No sulfur at bottling - ever!

Pierre Menard seems poised to join the pantheon of legendary producers working with Chenin Blanc on the complex array of soils in Anjou. Despite being located squarely in sweet wine country, Pierre is making fascinating and delicious dry bottlings (in addition to one sweet wine) that rival some of the top wines being made with the grape today. These wines are highly recommended for lovers of Richard Leroy, Mark Angeli, and Thomas Batardiere.

Pierre Menard

Pierre Menard comes from winemaking stock in Faye d'Anjou, but the grapes grown by his parents were sold off to a local cooperative. After attending winemaking school in Angers and staging around the world (most notably at Chateau Latour), Pierre returned home and convinced his parents to let him start a small project with some of their old-vine plots of Chenin Blanc in the Quarts de Noels and Clos des Mailles. 2013 was the first vintage produced, and Pierre has slowly increased his production since.

Pierre's vision is centered around producing dry, single-parcel Chenin Blanc from old vines. The schist-dominated soils of Anjou are among the most diverse and unique in the Loire, and Pierre thinks the terroir of each of his vineyards is expressed best when fermented totally dry. He also works with Cabernet Franc and has acquired some old-vine plots of Sauvignon Blanc from which he makes a delicious bottling named Laika.

In the cellar, things are quite minimalist. Pierre prefers slow, cold fermentations in used barrels, which usually rest on lees before bottling 10 months later. The beautiful labels are also of Pierre's own creation, as he is an artisan and musician in addition to a winemaker. This is a small winery of under five hectares, and the wines are sure to increase in price and recognition in the near future.

David Duband oversees a stable of prestigious appellations in the Cote de Nuits, including vineyards acquired from the legend Jacky Truchot in Clos de la Roche and Charmes-Chambertin. He also works choice parcels in the Hautes-Cotes that offer incredible value and immediate deliciousness. David has slowly refined his winemaking style and is making beautiful wines across a diverse canvas of vineyards.

David Duband

The story of Domaine David Duband is one of careful, strategic, and consistent evolution both in the cellar and the vineyards. The winery was established by his father, Pierre Duband, in the 1960s and their production was sold to the Beaune Cooperative winery until David became the face (and name) of the winery in 1991. Today, the winery encompasses around 17 hectares spread across 23 appellations and David works parcels in almost every major village in the Cote de Nuits.

He immediately began moving away from conventional farming in the late 1990s and oversaw an organic conversion completed in 2006. Notably, in 2005, David was able to acquire some incredibly prestigious parcels from the legendary Jacky Truchot. These vines, totaling about seven hectares, have become the domaine’s stand-out bottlings, covering the appellations Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, and Clos Sorbe.

While the domaine has been in constant physical evolution, stylistically, David began moving toward increased stem inclusion and shorter, gentler macerations to enhance the aromatic and elegant qualities of his wine. Fermentation for reds—the overwhelming majority of what David makes—lasts around two weeks with a few punchdowns, and new oak usage ranges from 20% to 50% depending on the cuvee.