You can count Olivier Horiot and his wife Marie as foundational producers in the emergence of the Cote des Bar in the minds of collectors and sommeliers. Their still wines are some of the best produced in all of Champagne, with the Rosé de Riceys bottlings defining the appellation. The couple also produces an increasing arsenal of bubbles, constantly experimenting with lesser-known varieties and unique production methods.

Olivier Horiot

Olivier Horiot took over the family domaine from his father in1999, when few people were talking about serious wine coming from the Aube department. Olivier is a third-generation grape grower in Les Riceys, a town in the southernmost part of Champagne that has more in common geologically with Chablis than the rest of Champagne./p>

Les Riceys is home to a unique appellation, Rosé de Riceys, one of the most compelling rose appellations in all of France and Olivier is a master. Champagne Horiot is the only producer in the appellation to make single-vineyard expressions: En Barmont and En Valingrain. A few years into production, Olivier became interested in biodynamics and completed a full conversion in 2006./p>

Uniquely, Olivier produced exclusively still wine first before releasing any Champagne. Olivier’s sparkling production is constantly evolving as he applies new techniques and vinifies Champagne from all seven permitted grape varieties—including one of the only Champagnes in the region made entirely from the rare variety Arbane. He also makes a solera bottling and has experimented with no-sulfur bottlings and extended periods of lees aging. Low dosage—and often no dosage—is preferred by Olivier, who looks to highlight the freshness and unique terroir of each plot.

The Vacheron family has been influential in Sancerre since the turn of the century--from day one, this has always been a family operation. Great-grandfather Maurice Vacheron tended a few vines in the silex-rich soils of his hometown back when Sancerre was but a forlorn stop on a village road. His son, Jean Vacheron, was the first of the family to specialize in wine production. Moving from cultivating grain to Pinot Noir, Jean is one of the main reasons why the family's Pinot Noir bottlings are some of the finest in the region. Today his grandsons, Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique have propelled Vacheron to an even higher echelon, following a Burgundian methodology of vinifying and bottling select vineyards separately, creating an awe-inspiring range of every color of the Sancerre rainbow.

Domaine Vacheron

Sancerre is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, sure, but the Pinot Noir is incredibly special here. The Rosé is gulpable, yet thought-provoking, specks of flint and limestone adding spice and lift. “Belle Dame” is the equivalent of a Grand Cru in Sancerre, coming from 50-year-old vines in pure flint soils; riveting, silky and spicy akin to a great Burgundy. “Les Marnes” takes its name from the loamy, clay-rich soils, chock (chalk?)-full of seashell fossils more tightly-concentrated than most of the region. The result is a full-bodied red with fresh, bright red fruit.

Of the whites, "Les Romains" is the pick of the knowing collector, as it’s one of the first Sancerres grown on pure Silex (flinty) soils, generating intensity, depth and peerless complexity that is as age-worthy as any great White Burgundy. "Chambrates" is a younger vineyard planted to clay and limestone, delivering ripe citrus and floral flavors with a long, textural finish. "Le Paradis" is a funny name as it is a vineyard largely devoid of soil, just vines planted straight into chalk which luckily is porous enough to allow the roots to tunnel deep. Such situations generate great concentration yet brightness, and tiny yields; zesty citrus and spiced floral aromas are a nice complement to the brilliant streak of acid throughout. "Le Pavé" is a cooler site with limestone-clay soils, creating a more classic, clean and bright style of Sancerre. "L’Enclos des Remparts" is sourced from a younger plot of vines, incredibly unique as the vines are ungrafted, delivering incredibly pure flavors and showcasing the unique smoke and spice of flinty soils.

Each release of our producers allows us to refocus for a minute on what makes them stand out - stand out within our portfolio, sure, but also within the wine world. So, with the impetus being the imminent arrival of Valentin Desloges' new release of Les Quatre Piliers, I posed the question to Thatcher: "Tell me what, in your mind, sets Valentin's wines apart?" The response from the boss struck a chord in me: "You don't drink them and think aboutSauvignon Blanc; it's not about 'varietal character', it's about the place, the person, and the stunning quality." Valentin's background says it all to me - Loire-born, but traveled to see Sauvignon Blanc's iterations in Bordeaux and New Zealand; then he gets a masterclass in small-parcel viticulture & vinification from Pillot & Coche. To some, it may seem random; yet, in finally tasting more of the wines, the intent could not have played out more precisely.

Les Quatre Piliers

A second generation winemaker is often presented two paths: the continuance of tradition, or a strict deviation altogether. In the wine world, we have seen numerous winemakers' efforts to continue their family's work, to live up to the name of their elders; yet, it takes a special sort to blend both of those aforementioned paths to create what Valentin Desloges has: a singular, expressive and profound winery that expresses Touraine better than perhaps any prior.

The son of a Touraine winemaker, Valentin performed his studies in Bordeaux and got his first hands-on experience outside of the Loire within the Bordeaux region, at Château Mangot in Saint-Émilion. Following that, he went on to work in New Zealand in 2015, with a strong focus on Sauvignon Blanc – a chance to work with a very different expression of the grape. Returning back to France, Valentin spent time in Burgundy, where he was able to work alongside some of the top white winemakers we know and love – Raphael Coche and Paul Pillot – with a stint with Vincent Sipp in Alsace (Domaine Agapé) to cap off his travels.

Years of creating a mental amalgam of his experiences led Valentin to his ultimate path; it was not taking the helm at his father's domaine, but the creation of his own: Domaine des Quatre Piliers. Formed by a sum of ten hectares between Noyers and Saint-Aignan, Valentin converted the estate to organic viticulture, first focusing all of his energy into the health of his vines. As the plants flourished, Valentin engaged in another passion, creating his own barrels in collaboration with François Frères, all produced with wood from the estate that he dries and prepares himself; the aim not to impart oaky flavors, but to bring the whole of the Domaine's environment into play.

Viticulture & Vinification

With just under 10 hectares split into 15 different small parcels, about half of the vineyards are planted to Sauvignon Blanc on clay and limestone soils. Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Pineau d'Aunis and Côt (Malbec) making up the rest. The Cher river acts as a significant temperature regulator, with close proximity to the vines. There is a large area of tuffeau that has been dug out, creating mineral equilibrium and serving as a natural ventilation system for the vineyard.

This panel of different soils is divided into 4 parcels: Les Puits aux Chiens, totaling 3.5ha Sauvignon Blanc between 15 and 50 years of age, as well as Chenin vines about 30 years old. At the top of Noyer, there is deep white clay with limestone borders; there is a cooler climate here, preserving freshness, high aromatics and acidity in the wines. To the north is Bernardières, one of the warmer parcels with 45 year-old Côt vines planted in sulphate-rich soil close to the Cher river. Finally, the Bel Air vineyard consists of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc; the Quatre Piliers parcel has 25 year-old Pinot Noir and 50 year-old Cabernet Franc vines planted to a cooler climate at the top of the hill with warmer micro-climates at the bottom of the slopes that are rich in red clay content. This complementary mix between warm and cold lands is fostering the subtle equilibrium sought by Valentin in winemaking, associating robustness from the clay and delicacy from limestone.

In the cellar, there is great focus on controlled pressing – the amount of pressure used, the length of time the grapes are pressed, and which juices are used. All the work is done by the moon calendar. Fermentations occur with indigenous yeast, and there is no fining or filtration of the finished wines. The wines are aged at a natural and constant temperature of 13°C in tuffeau caves at 75% humidity. Cabernet Franc and Côt grapes are carefully de-stemmed before fermenting in tanks for 20 to 30 days. Pinot Noir is cooled down with 20% of entire grapes and ferments for 9 days. Alcoholic fermentation takes places in stainless steel before being transferred to various barrels for malolactic fermentation. White wines only ferment in wood casks, with a varying proportion of new wood depending on the cuvée: 20% for the Grande Cuvée of Sauvignon Blanc, and 30% for the Chenin.