Geoffrey Delouvin works his 7 hectares of vines exclusively in the village of Vandières just as the 10 previous generations of his family has done. This family heritage and knowledge coupled with a unique focus on one cru make the wines he is producing some of the most exciting in all of Champagne. 

 

The plots are mostly old vines, all with south/ southeast facing exposition on a myriad of soils from Clay-limestone to white marl and clay. Meunier dominates the family holdings. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are present along with ancestral plantings of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Petit Meslier. The vines are tended the way they always have been. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is strictly forbidden. A respect for the living soils means great biodiversity in the vines, no deep plowing and 12 month composted manure for greater microbiological health of the soil. The transmission for these practices come down through 11 generations, all informed by the land and grapes. 

 

Work in the cellar is decidedly more modern with the use of stainless steel, riper harvest of the grapes and the individual pressing and fermentation of individual plots. Wine making is non-interventional, Malolactic is neither sought nor blocked and any sulphur does are homeopathic (<40mg/L).

 

In 1992, after the renovation of the cellar, Geoffrey’s father began a solera from his best Meunier reserve wines. Each year a small percentage is drawn off for the Meunier Perpetual and Semper Fidelis and topped off with the wines of the year. The tanks that hold the 360 hectoliters of mature, deep, complex wines are the gem of the cellar.

 

The myriad of releases from Famille Delouvin is matched by the tapestry of plots the family farms. The wines, bottle to bottle and year to year, show a complexity and maturity that can’t be missed.