The terroir of François Chaumont champagne

Is there still a need to present it? The Reims mountain is the northernmost terroir of the AOC Champagne. Wedged between Épernay and Reims, this region is characterized by a more marked relief than in the rest of the AOC. The highest point of Champagne, the Mountain offers a large number of hillsides ideal for growing vines. The vines lean against the west and north sides of this massif, thus creating a vast semi-circle going from Louvois to Villers-Allerant. The south and south-east slopes open onto narrow valleys.

These altitudes, combined with favorable exposures and a very wide variety of subsoil, have given this region a well-deserved reputation for quality. And for good reason, the Mountain alone represents more than a third of the villages classified as Grand Cru and Premier Cru. It is hardly surprising that this terroir is the cradle of famous wines such as Bouzy, Ambonnay, Mailly, Verzenay and Verzy.

Wines from this region are generally considered full-bodied, fresh and bouquety, giving the champagne its structure. Traditionally, Pinot Noir is considered the king grape variety of this region. It only sees its supremacy challenged in rare places in favor of Chardonnay.

In this terroir dominated by recognized wines and breeding ground for star Champagne winegrowers, the village of Puisieulx could pale in comparison. However, it is in this smallest Grand Cru of Champagne that the vines of Champagne François Chaumont flourish, wedged between the foothills of the mountain and the suburbs of the city of Reims. Often ignored, this small village of 400 inhabitants is nevertheless one of the 17 villages classified as Grand Cru de Champagne (remember that the AOC has 319 communes). With barely 18 hectares of vines, this vineyard looks like a small thumb and François Chaumont, with his 5 hectares, seems, more or less, a giant in the middle of his vines framed by those of Maison Ruinart.The eye A non-practised person could almost walk past these vines without paying attention to the ideal exposure, but also to the chalky soil which deeply permeates François Chaumont's champagnes.

At the origin of François Chaumont champagne

Almost contrary to the Champagne model, François Chaumont did not succeed his parents at the head of his family business. Starting from scratch in 1994 with a few hectares of a family vineyard, he patiently, year after year, created his own house and a style of champagne that is unique to him. The grape varieties are then as they are today: ⅓ Chardonnay and ⅔ the essential Pinot Noir. Surprisingly, it is not in the Montagne de Reims that François' grapes are pressed and vinified, but further south, in the Marne Valley. Since his marriage to a winegrower from Œuilly, Marie-Hélène Littière, François has been able to benefit not only from the wise advice of Michel Littière, his father-in-law, but also from the wine-growing facilities.

The style of François Chaumont champagne

Here, the main player is Pinot Noir. This one has nothing to envy of that of its other more famous Grand Cru brothers (Bouzy and Ambonnany in the first place). François Chaumont is an experienced winemaker and winemaker, capable of putting his style on these champagnes. Careful, no-fuss work in the cellar allows him to showcase the best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the Montagne de Reims. These champagnes offer the perfect compromise between lovers of roundness and tension.