Hélène Charbaut ‘La Charbauterie’ Premier Cru Champagne

Hélène Charbaut is the fourth generation of her family to tend vines on the historic hillsides of the Grande Vallée de la Marne. She has nearly three hectares spread across the villages of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Avenay Val d'Or, and Bisseuil, most of which were planted in the 1960s. Some of the vines in Mareuil go back to 1921!

Like a lot of young winemakers, Hélène left home first. She studied wine management in Dijon, worked in marketing at Bouchard Père et Fils, spent time at Champagne Leclerc Briant where she fell hard for biodynamics and wrote her dissertation on it. Then she worked at Champagne Péhu Simmonet, where David Péhu encouraged her to experiment and eventually told her to go back to her family's vines. She did. In 2020, she joined her father Guy and launched her own label.

Her connection to the land and interest in biodynamic practices is so strong that her whole approach to viticulture has become a very holistic one. She incorporated a small herd of sheep that grazes between the rows, feeding on the grasses and indigenous plants, turning and fertilizing the soil as they go. The results were obvious enough that her neighbours started paying attention.

Her cuvée 'La Charbauterie' is equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Ambient yeast fermentation, nine months in barrel, spontaneous malolactic, then 18 months over its own lees before disgorgement. No fining, no filtration, minimal sulphur. Dosage is 0 to 3 grams per litre, which means it's basically bone dry.

This is the exact style of Champagne you should be looking out for. Made by small, independent growers who see Champagne as a cultural product, not a luxury brand. People who are trying to say something with their wine, to offer their own vision and interpretation of a region that has been commodified almost beyond recognition.