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The Doyard family have records showing that they were involved in viticulture dating as far back as 1677. The eleventh generation of the family, Yannick, is sure that his research into the family history will unearth an even earlier date. In 1919 Maurice Doyard was the first in the family to produce wine followed in 1927 by the first estate bottling. Maurice laid the foundations for not only Champagne Doyard but helped to ensure that Champagne standards would be upheld long into the future. He was President of the “Syndicat General Vignerons” from 1925 to 1944 as well as co-President of what is now the CIVC when it was formed in 1941. Sixty years after the first wines were produced by the family, a 20-year-old Yannick Doyard took the reins of the Domaine. He set about implementing reasoned viticulture and moving towards an organic approach. The family vineyards now total around 11 hectares of some of the finest plots in Champagne. 10 hectares of Chardonnay vines are in the villages of Vertus (1er Cru), Le Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Avize and Cramant (all Grand Cru). The remaining 1 hectare of Pinot Noir vines are in the 1er Cru village of Vertus and the Grand Cru village of Aÿ. In total there are 54 plots spread across six villages and the vines have an average age of 40 years. A programme of only replacing dead vines once a year is in place in order to increase the average age of the vines which give low yields but at the same time produce the finest quality fruit. Today Yannick still takes a fully active role in the Domaine. He did take a slight back seat around 2013 to start the transition to the twelfth generation of the family Charles Doyard. Sadly, Charles tragically passed away in August 2017. It then fell to Yannick’s younger son Guillaume to change direction and return to work alongside his father full time rather than just working during the harvest as he had done every year. The whole focus is to produce wines that express the terroir. All cuvées undergo a minimum of 48 months of lees ageing. This includes the Vendémiaire Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru non-vintage. It is about as far from an entry level Champagne as you could imagine.
Located along the 45th Parallel, the wines of Alziati Annibale are wines of incredible Lombardian authenticity and integrity, interpreting the land par excellence. Annibale Alziati’s desire for winemaking was born out of the emotions evoked travelling throughout Italy with his father, in search of table wines. The charm of these wines, which represented the various indigenous grape varieties and local lands throughout the country, inspired Alziati to forge his own route, gradually purchasing land over his career. Now, 22 hectares span across Oltrepò, located on the ridges of the hills at an altitude from 250 to 300 meters above sea level, a specific microclimate well suited to cultivating the indigenous varietals of Lombardia - Croatina and Uva Rara. Annibale Alziati comes back to the traditional cultivation of the vineyards, fully respecting their potentialities, letting nature to make its course without artificial or invasive interventions. The low natural yields due to the age of the vines, to the short pruning, the lack of fertilization, the spontaneous grassing, the respect for the harvesting as well as the processing times, and the vinification practices manually performed without solvents added and filtration ensure to obtain rustic wines, whose elegance is expressed by the ripeing process in cement tanks and by the aging in the bottle.
The domaine is situated in Northern Burgundy, in the village of Saint-Bris-Le-Vineux, 0 miles from Chablis and 5 miles from Auxerre. Clément spent 8 years training and learning his craft before returning to his father’s domaine. Clément started his wine journey in and around Burgundy, spending multiple harvests with a number of different producers (Verret, Torres de Velle, Armand Heitz), developing the skills to delicately make brilliant Pinot and Chardonnay wines, maintaining a strong interest in biodynamic viticulture. Then, time was spent with other varieties, gaining experience all the while. From Burgundy, Clément made the move to Bordeaux (the famed First Growth, Château Margaux), followed by the Rhône’s Domaine Chapoutier, learning the art of managing both smaller and larger production volumes whilst maintaining the highest quality. The final chapter of the educational journey ended in the New World in Northeastern Victoria, Australia. This plethora of experience led Clément back to Burgundy, but with new insights from contrasting regions throughout the world, he realised that his outlook on viticulture differed from his father, Erick. Clément has been going it alone since 2019, securing a minuscule 1.6ha of Chablis vines as well as some grape purchases from the appellations of Côtes d’Auxerre and Saint-Bris from his father. The vineyards were worked very naturally with no insecticides and very little intervention. An investment was made in old tractors that are lighter than the modern machinery, putting less pressure on the soils, as well as consuming less fuel. In 2020 Erick decided to hand over 3.7ha of vines to his son so that production could be increased but not at the expense of quality. Perhaps he could see straight away that the Family estate would be in great hands…
Simon and his sister Marie are the latest custodians of their family’s 11.5 hectares of vineyards which are located in seven villages around the commune of Bar-sur-Seine in the Côte des Bar. The southernmost area of Champagne. Up until 2013, all of the grapes grown by the Normond family were sold to the cooperatives and négociants of the region. Initially just 6,000 bottles were made which soon sold out when they were released for sale in 2015. In 2019 production had already increased to 15,000 bottles and a bright future certainly lies ahead. Simon spent two years of his wine making apprenticeship in Burgundy working for the renowned producer Bouchard Père et Fils. Here he learnt the importance of each individual plot and the way to integrate oak without overpowering the flavours of the wines. The Domaine is farmed with a total respect for nature and is intent on preserving and encouraging biodiversity. Domaine La Borderie holds both “High Environmental Value” certification and “Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne” certification. The family’s 11.5 hectares of vines in seven villages around Bar-sur-Seine in Côtes des Bar are still mainly growing grapes for the big players but step-by-step, the duo are increasing their own production. ‘In 2013 we made 6.000 bottles and in 2019 already 15.000 bottles.’ But why call it ‘La Borderie’ as typically for champagne it usually carries its maker’s name? ‘Well, the name Champagne Normand wouldn’t really work…’ Simon reasons. An adopted name also gave them the chance to communicate more about their project. ‘Historically la borderie was used to refer to a small farm and this in essence is what we are. An estate that does not purchase grapes.’ The name also accurately reflects the Burgundian influences witnessed at the domaine. The identity of each plot and their respective cuvées are carefully isolated. Only 1.5 hectares are now nurtured to grow grapes for the domaine’s own needs. Highly sustainable and approaching organic ways, great interest is also directed in preserving both biodiversity and landscape at La Borderie. Technically skilled and meticulous, Simon is clearly driven towards perfecting each aspect of their operation. With the different cuvées possessing only 5-15% of oak-fermented wines. The house style is squeaky-clean, beautifully precise and deliciously fruit-driven. The stainless steel fermented wines go through the malolactic fermentation whereas in barrels it is avoided. Oxidative style is not to his liking whereas tension and fruitiness very much are. Original article by Essi Avellan: essiavellan.com
In Castiglione Falletto, in the heart of the Barolo region, brothers Remo and Maggiorino started selling their grapes in the 1950’s. They decided after a while to make wine themselves. In the 80’s Vittorio Monchero, son of Maggiorino, graduated from the college of viticulture and became involved in the business. The crus of Nebbioio grapes for Barolo are situated in the best hillsides in the municipalities of Castiglione Falletto & La Morra. Since the 90’s the vineyards have been completely replanted following the best grafting and training techniques. From pressing to bottling, winemaking and ageing, the cellar is the place where Vittorio Monchiero’s work gives its results to create traditional Langa wines for the lovers of this region who want to “taste”the terroir. Barolo, Barbera and Nebbiolo meet the wood in the large Slavonian oak barrels. Each wine is processed according to its specific technique, always keeping in mind the tradition, especially for Barolo. They have built a special ageing section dedicated to the King of Wines. The cellar has been renovated over the last few years and the family have purchased new barrels and new stainless-steel vats for young wines. In 2017 his son Luca joined the winery and later, his second son Stefano, attended agricultural school and now is also helping to continue the family tradition.
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Luciano Ciolfi is now the custodian of the family’s vineyards situated to the south west of Montalcino in Tuscany. The name Sanlorenzo comes from Luciano’s great-great-grandfather, Lorenzo Ferrretti who purchased some land in Montalcino to build a family house in the late 19th century. In 1950 Lorenzo’s son Guido married and purchased additional land for another house and space to rear animals. He named it Sanlorenzo in memory of his father. One of his sons, Bramante, took over the farm after his father passed away. During this time the vineyard was around one hectare and was for family use only. Vineyard expansion took place in 1972 after Bramante’s daughter married Paolo Ciolfi. Previously, all of the grape production was sold to other wineries in the area. Now the whole harvest is bottled with the Sanlorenzo label. Initially Paolo’s son Luciano went to work at a winery in in different region. After learning his trade and following the popularity of Montalcino and Brunello he returned to take over the family vineyards. Following the initial plantings by his father, further areas were planted in 1992 and then the last in 2018. The total area now under vine is 7 hectares. All Sangiovese with each vineyard located on the southern slopes of the property with a south to south west exposure depending on the natural topography. The first bottles under the Sanlorenzo label were produced in 2003. The work in the vineyards is all manual with careful selection giving an intended low yield per hectare. Straight after harvesting, the grapes are carefully destalked, crushed and placed into stainless steel tanks to undergo fermentation and maceration. This usually lasts for around 25 days initially at around 28ºC and dropping to 20°C on the final days. The Rosso di Montalcino wine is placed into old Barriques for around twelve months with the Brunello going into large 30 hectolitre casks for two years. Following bottling, the Rosso is released for sale in the spring of the second year after harvest. The Brunello will be placed back into tanks for a period of time prior to bottling and at least four months of bottle ageing in the cellars. It is then released for sale in the January of the fifth year after harvest. From the land of Bramante to the wine of Luciano….. 3 generations from Montalcino committed to the production of high-quality wines within their own winery in a strictly family structure.
Our estate was created in 1946 by the will of our elders, winegrowers of Chavot-Courcourt. Chavost is the ancestral name of the village, which formerly was located between the Saint-Martin Church and the Mount Felix hill, upon which a castle was established. Our ancestors have given us their strong collective values, solidarity, sharing, and the love of our lands. Now more than ever, we put all our forces in common to grow high quality grapes, giving us the chance to elaborate unique wines of Champagne. Our commitment in preserving the environment, our land and the excellence of our wines, is expanding along with a deep conviction. In harmony with our philosophy and values, we decided to produce and launch a new range of wines : Thanks to a mastered vinification, that does not include added sulfites, the range « Et sans sulfites ajoutés ! » ( meaning « No added sulphites ! »), is composed of a singular and atypical wines. It comes in addition to the traditional range.