Chartogne-Taillet

Alexandre Chartogne is one of Champagne’s brightest young talents—his pure, energetic wines are well on the way to setting a new regional standard. This producer is based in the northernmost outpost of the Champagne region, seven kilometres north of Reims in Merfy. This is one of a crescent of villages of the Massif de Saint-Thierry, an area that has been planted with vines at least since the time of the Roman Empire. The Benedictine monks of the neighbouring Abbey of Saint-Thierry expanded the vineyards in the 7th century and carefully mapped out the different terroirs.

The Domaine itself dates back to 1920 but it was only as recently as 2006 that things really started to change. Fresh from a stage with Anselme Selosse, Alexandre returned to Chartogne-Taillet with the ideal that the transmission of terroir would come only through careful work in the vineyard. To this end no chemicals, herbicides or insecticides are used, cultivation is only when required, sheep and chickens roam the vineyards and organic compost is used where necessary. All effort is on maximising life in the soil. In the cellar each parcel is vinified separately. Primary fermentation is wild, and largely in second-hand barriques (although Chartogne has also used concrete eggs for some time). In most cases the base wines are aged for nine months (far longer than most Champagne) before assemblage and tasting. The second fermentation in the bottle is induced using yeasts selected from each specific parcel. Dosage is low and, as Chartogne hones his style, we find it’s in lower proportions each year.

Alexandre Chartogne’s reputation as one of Champagne’s most thoughtful and ambitious growers shows through in his wines. In terms of the range, the Cuvée Sainte Anne and corresponding Rosé remain the only wines using more than one grape and one vintage; the single-vintage parcelle wines are all only the product of a single harvest and a single grape variety.