VINE and BUBBLE Podcast

#26 Domaine Vincey with Marine Vincey-Zabarino

Domaine Vincey is one of Champagne’s most exciting andprogressive grower-producers, known for its bold vision, meticulous craftsmanship, and deep respect for terroir.In Champagne, where generational legacies are sometimescenturies old, setting down one’s own path can mean writing not only a chapter, but a whole new book. Today we’re going to learn more about the impressive husband and wife team doing exactly this in the grand cru village of Oger in Champagne’s Cote des BlancsQuentin Vincey and Marine Zabarino are the impressive, ifnot radical, growers making incredibly good champagnes, which get better with every release. They are fearless pioneers in a village where most of the producers are attached to just two local cooperatives. Quentin is the domaine’s eighth-generation winegrower. Inthe 12 years following wine school, he took the rein of the family’s vineyards, grew their holdings, commenced organic and biodynamic conversion and shifted the business model to make wines under their own label. Quentin and Marine released their first champagne from the2014 harvest - a 100 percent Oger blanc de blancs made from old vines dating back to 1954. Just 11 years later, they have become one of the most interesting and acclaimed winegrowers championing the uniqueness of Oger’s terroir within a delicious, generous and Burgundian style. Today I am going to talk to Marine Zabarino about theirDomaine and have my first taste of the new release Oger 2020.

#25 Pierre Gimonnet et Fils Champagne with Didier Gimonnet

I’ve long considered Pierre Gimonnet et Fils champagnes tothe be the reference point for high quality blanc de blancs in the Champagne region. Their racy, pure and mineral style reflects the highest levels of finesse and freshness that is emblematic of chardonnay grapes grown on thewhite chalky slopes of the Côte des Blancs. Didier Gimonnet and his brother Olivier, are at the helm ofthe family’s domaine. These days they are accompanied by the involvement of their respective children. Didier is one of Champagne’s great winegrowers and makerswho is also – and  uncommonly - a good communicator.I sat down with him recently to talk about his philosophy and passion for making some of the finest blanc de blancs in Champagne.

#24 Champagne Lanson's Chef de Caves, Hervé Dantan

For champagne lovers, there are few Houses with the electriccharge and extraordinary finesse of Lanson, which performs best with age. Known for blocking malolactic fermentation and extended lees aging, Lanson creates wines of extreme longevity and possesses a huge cache of the region’s oldest champagnes.After a monumental program involving a quality check andstocktake of their museum wines, the Maison has launched a unique program called ‘Lanson Private Collection’ where investors will be allocated a private cellar with storage for up to 300 bottles and personally monitored by their chef de caves, Hervé Dantan. After experiencing the special launch dinner in Reims, whereI had the chance to taste some extraordinary champagnes going back to 1921, I sat down with Hervé Dantan for this interview.

#23 Fabrice Pouillon from Champagne R.Pouillon et Fils

The Pouillon family are privy to some fantastic terroir in Champagne’s Grande Vallée. Rich and textured, whilst paradoxically elegant and enthrallingly vibrant, R. Pouillon champagnes are stunning interpretations of terroir, especially through the eyes of pinot noir, and elaborated with a sensitive hand. Today we are going to meet the man behind their making.Fabrice Pouillon makes exceptional champagnes. He seemsto possess a superpower, managing to achieve a necessary balance between power and delicacy, which sometimes eludes others with a heavy hand, especially those who rely on barrels for vinification.It was my pleasure to interview Fabrice recently inChampagne.

#22 Champagne Geoffroy with Jean-Baptiste and Sasha Geoffroy

The Geoffroy family name is historically connected to thevillage of Cumières, in the Vallée de la Marne, where the family has been winegrowing since the 17th century.Today, Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy represents the fifth generation, overseeing 14 hectares of vineyards. In the 1970s, Jean-Baptiste’s father, René, made the audacious decision to use most of their grapes for their own production, under the label Champagne René Geoffroy, instead of supplyingthe big Houses. They produce fruit-forward, flavoursome and intenselymineral champagnes that somehow produce the verve required for massive aging potential, instead of just immediate drinking appeal, which is often the casefor wines coming from Cumières.Today, Jean-Baptiste is joined by his daughter Sasha, who isworking hand-in-glove with her father to perpetuate the legacy of the family into the future.It was my privilege to interview both of them in Champagne,recently.