Our terroir
Nogent l’Abbesse, kingdom of Chardonnay
terroir
chalk
chardonnay
old vines
massal selection
“ An atypical terroir,
a living soil, healthy vines, and the winegrower's hand that accompanies, supports and protects.”
Let the vine speak
secret of a great Champagne
We cultivate five hectares on Mont de Berru, formerly known as Montagne de Nogent. This 267-meter-high mountain is an exemplary advanced hillock of the Montagne de Reims, spared from erosion in the Tertiary era. It has the same subsoil as the Côte des Blancs, on the Cuesta d'Ile de France. This limestone slope with its outcropping Campanian chalk is a paradise for light, delicate Chardonnays, symbols of finesse and elegance.
Our vineyards are predominantly planted with Chardonnay (95%), with a single vine of Pinot Noir (5%).
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Our parcels are spread over sixteen lieux-dits, fourteen in Nogent l'Abbesse and two in Berru. They benefit from different exposures, altitudes and soils, enabling a wide variety of Chardonnay expressions.
Nogent l'Abbesse
view of our lieux-dits Les Beaux Lieux and Les Reux
Committed viticulture
feet on the ground
Our vineyard is certified VDC Viticulture Durable en Champagne and HVE Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3, but we go beyond labels.
agroecology
We do not apply herbicides to preserve the biological activity of the soil. We maintain a permanent grass cover and carry out trials with leguminous cover crops and mulches.
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For more than 20 years, we have not used insecticides, replacing them with biological protection methods.
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We do not use chemical fertilizers, but rely only on organic amendments of animal (cattle and sheep) and plant origin.
“ Good farming sense,
prevails in our quest for a living soil and a healthy plant. We take a global approach, considering the vine in its ecosystem.”
nature
grass cover
biodiversity
plant cover
Biodiversity
We encourage biodiversity by planting shrubs and melliferous flowers close to the plots. We have installed a hive of honeybees in the family orchard and count wild bee populations near our vines in collaboration with the Comité Champagne.
We incorporate the pruning shoots from the vines into the soil to naturally restore organic matter. With skillful pruning, we encourage the vigor of our vines and seek a balance between leaves and fruit to obtain the healthiest, ripest grapes. We implement the best practices based on our observations, trials and exchanges with winemakers from several regions.
All our small actions are geared towards serving nature and people, to promote a sustainable ecosystem.
Massal selection
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Thanks to the selection practices of a passionate grandfather who devoted a large part of his life to this work, 30% of our vines still originate from massal selection. This biological diversity makes the vines more resilient to global warming and disease. These vines enable us to create distinctive, parcel-based cuvées.
Old vines
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The average age of our vines is 35 years. Three plots have vines over 50 years old. The older vines have a more developed and deeper root system, allowing them to draw mineral elements and water efficiently from the soil. These vines produce fewer but more aromatic grapes.
Nogent l'Abbesse
among the oldest terroirs of Champagne
Vines arrived in Champagne between the 1st and 5th centuries. They spread mainly between the 9th and 13th centuries, under the influence of religious orders.
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In 1100, the chapter of Reims Cathedral offered two wine presses for Nogent l'Abbesse. ​
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Our winegrowing region soon developed thanks to the Abbaye Saint-Pierre-les-Dames, a contemporary of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers where Dom Perignon lived. This Royal Abbey held vines in Nogent l'Abbesse until the end of the 18th century, giving rise to the name Nogent l'Abbesse.
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​The nuns selected this terroir for its sunny hillsides, chalk subsoil and proximity to Reims, where they had their Abbey.
Nogent l’Abbesse in 1715 - Extract from a survey plan dividing the land between Nogent l'Abbesse and Berru belonging to Saint-Pierre-les-Dames in the west and Saint Remi in the east.
Nogent l'Abbesse is located on the southern slope of the Montagne de Nogent, now renamed Mont de Berru, visible on all the old maps of Reims with its emblematic mill at the top.
Reims in 1635 - MOREAU Edmé, Portrait of the City and University of Reims, Reims, Société des Amis du Vieux Reims, Musée-Hôtel Le Vergeur (inv. 2009.0.234) Photo : © Franck Boucourt
World War I
vineyard destruction
In 1914, the Germans invaded France and occupied our mountain, providing a strategic peak from which to bombard Reims almost continuously.
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For four years, the front line stabilized between Nogent l'Abbesse and Reims, only 10 km apart. Soldiers faced each other at the gates of Reims, hidden in a network of barbed wire and chalk trenches. The cathedral was hit by 350 shells, and 70% of Reims was destroyed.
During these years of war, it was impossible to work the vines so close to the front. Nogent l'Abbesse was occupied, and most of its inhabitants left for war, exodus or requisition. All that remained were women, children and the elderly, whereas before the war, 153 winegrowers had worked the village's 120 hectares.
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It wasn't until the advance of General Gouraud's 5th French Army in October 1918 that the Germans fled and evacuated Nogent l'Abbesse.
Pre-war
Post-war
Reconstruction
The courage of the local population
In Nogent l'Abbesse, the toll of war was very heavy. At the end of 1918, the village was in ruins. Of 190 houses, only three were habitable. Of the pre-war population of 590, only 270 returned.
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In the end, Nogent l'Abbesse was the most destroyed vineyard in the Marne. 100 hectares of vineyards were devastated by trenches, shell holes and munition debris.
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It was necessary to rebuild his house, replant his vineyard, and buy a horse and farming equipment. It took several decades and a lot of courage to rebuild the vineyard!
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Today, Nogent l'Abbesse comprises 170 hectares of vines, spread out between 130 and 220 meters above sea level. The vineyard is 99% Chardonnay. At the summit, a 500-hectare forest is a biodiversity reserve where cyclists and hikers enjoy meeting up.
Crus scale
Nogent l'Abbesse 88%
In 1919, in the aftermath of the war, the winegrowers' and négociants' unions established a rating system for crus with a scale ranging from 32% to 100%, depending on the village, to help set grape prices. The scale was revised several times between 1920 and 1952, with Premier Cru reserved for villages rated between 90% and 99%, and Grand Cru for villages rated 100%.
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Nogent l'Abbesse Chardonnays received a rating of 88%, a fine recognition for a vineyard that had yet to be rebuilt!
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The scale was abandoned in 2004, leaving prices free. Today, Nogent l'Abbesse Chardonnays are highly sought-after and priced in the range of Premier Cru.
