LOINTIER

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A breath of fresh air in the Vallée de la Marne! Hélène and Jean-Baptiste Lointier, a young and extremely friendly pair of winemakers, disgorge only 3,000 to 5,000 bottles of Champagne per year. The two have been cultivating three hectares of vineyards in the western Marne Valley since 2007, and only since 2016 have they been processing some of their grapes themselves. The three champagnes that Hélène & Jean-Baptiste enthusiastically produce in their small cellar in Crézancy are already of amazing quality.

Jean-Baptiste makes his great passion for the different terroirs of his vineyards palpable. The vines grow on clay to sandy soils on limestone. On gentle slopes, the rows of vines extend, but some also drop unexpectedly steeply to the Marne. The Lointiers attach great importance to ripe grapes of the best quality - and these come exclusively from the red varieties Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Respectful treatment of nature is practiced; herbicides and insecticides in the vineyard are taboo. This attitude is also reflected on the labels with the motif of the honey bee.
Jean-Baptiste's grandfather, who still ran the farm as a mixed farm, already had a passion for bees and obviously passed this on to his offspring. Hélène and Jean-Baptiste are also avid hobby beekeepers and consider the choice of label both a tribute to bees and to their grandfather.

Lointier's cellar is reminiscent of a lowered garage and appears very manageable. A few wooden barrels and amphorae are stored in the simple but functional and air-conditioned annex of the residential house, which is located in the countryside, along with a few necessary tools, hoses, wine lifters, tasting glasses - that's it. Here are created gently and artisan champagne with character, unobtrusive and yet recognizable. The wines are neither filtered nor fined, and sulfurization is kept to an absolute minimum. The champagnes resulting from this gentle and artisanal preparation are unobtrusive yet strong in character, recognizable and unmanipulated, characterized by subtle aromatics and engaging charm.