Growers Champagne from Hautvillers.
I remember reading a story on the Internet about a guy living in Hautvillers who was hired to remove the unwanted bubbles from wine in Champagne.
Since the bottles blew up in the cellars wine makers wanted to do a Burgundy style still wine. He was therefore given the task to get rid of the bubbles.
Although he probably did his best he didn’t succeed. (yay!)
Luckily this is another story of how Burgundy still have an influence on wine making in Hautvillers at Champagne Marion-Bosser.
I met with Bernadette Marion-Bosser at their estate as she covered for Elodie that day. We soon dived in to the history of how she fought to get their leased land back as it was leased out after WWII. All the land is now back in their hands, but it took her 10 years to get it all back. After recovering the land she then brought the family back to her native village of Hautvillers in 1994. Many people said that she was too old to learn to make wine, so a lot of struggling and learning had to be done.
And did she prove them wrong.
All the Champagnes they produce are really well structured and have fine details in taste and nose. They also open up quite a bit with a bit of time in the glass. If you get the chance you should definitely try them.
Today her daughter Elodie is in charge and taking care of the fields and winemaking. She is using her Burgundian knowledge to farm the vines which she gathered after working for Henri Boillot among others. Unfortunately I did not get to speak with Elodie about the current wine making also, but when I visit them again I’ll report back. Maybe 2020, who knows.
Facts:
Champagne Marion-Bosser has been in the family for five generations,
starting with Elodie’s maternal great-grandmother and thereafter passing down from mother to daughter with each subsequent generation. After her grandmother moved the family to Paris during World War II and leased out
the vineyards for a few decades, her mother, Bernadette, brought the family back to her native village of Hautvillers, in the Vallée de la Marne, in 1994 to take over the domaine. Elodie followed in Bernadettes footsteps and in 2001, moving to Burgundy to study at Beaune’s celebrated wine school, the CFPPA. Elodie returned to Champagne in 2009, and today, she and Bernadette run the domaine.
Production is around 40 000 bottles per year.
Vineyards: 4,3 hectares
All their vineyards are in the Premier Cru village in Hautvillers.
Only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
Wines
Extra-Brut Blanc de blanc 1er Cru (100% Chardonnay)
Base 2013
Reserve Wine :40%
Disgorged : 10/18
Dosage : 5g/L
This low-dosage Extra-Brut Champagne is a ” must ” of finesse and elegance. Aged at least 3 years on lees, its straw-gold color, its fine and delicate bubbles, its lemony nose and its floral aromas make it a truly unique wine. That promise is confirmed on the palate, with a vigorous, direct attack, firm and almost fierce.
Tradition Brut 1er Cru (60%chardonnay + 40 % Pinot Noir)
Base 2012
Reserve Wine : 67%
Disgorged : 10/18
Dosage : 9g/l
The House signature wine, this non-vintage Brut reflects the true character of its terroir. Aged a minimum of 3 years, it will charm you with its lovely pale yellow color and its nose of white flowers and fresh fruits. On the palate, it offers roundness and finesse, with a light touch
Rosé Brut 1er Cru (50% chardonnay +36% Pinot Noir +14% Pinot noir vinified in red wine)
Base 2012
Reserve Wine : 62%
Disgorged : 11/18
Dosage : 9g/l
Aged for 3 years – is often a favorite of women and thus an asset in the art of seduction. Its salmon color, its fine bubbles, its exquisite nose which expresses a multitude of small red fruits, and its honest attack on the palate, all make it a Champagne ” Pleasure “.
Millesime 2012 (39% chardonnay+61%Pinot Noir
25% wine without Malolactic fermentation
Disgorged: 01/19
Dosage 7 g/l
Ageing :7 years
Made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – and only in a year when the harvest has been exceptional – the Millésime reflects the weather of that year and the character of its native soil. Aged for more than 5 years in dark cellars until it reaches perfect maturity, this vintage wine reveals lightly roasted notes on the nose, opening onto a well-structured palate.
