In Rouvres-les-Vignes, a small village in the Aube department located between Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises and the Cistercian abbey of Clairvaux, Nathalie FALMET works in her cellar, amidst oak barrels, stainless steel vats and clay amphorae, to produce gourmet champagnes that are renowned for their quality.
Nathalie FALMET is a rare woman winegrower in the country, she spent her childhood in the middle of the vineyards where she worked to help her father.
After studying chemistry at Orsay, she graduated as 'nose' in perfumery and opened her own laboratory in Bar-sur-Aube.
In 1993, she took over the family business and obtained her diploma in oenology: she then used her two skills, the oenological knowledge and the job as a 'nose', to make her champagnes as one would make perfumes.
She works with old Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines, and her cuvées, with the exception of the brut champagne, are not blended champagnes, as she wants to highlight the harvest: the champagnes are mainly wines from a single plot and a single year, but they are not vintage in the administrative sense of the term (official declaration, year engraved on the cork, etc.).
For her, a champagne is the result of three components: the terroir, the plant and also the winemaker, the latter having a considerable influence on the produced wine: "You can only love a wine by appreciating the person who makes it," she says.
Nathalie FALMET also wanted to show us the influence of the containers on the wine style: she gives us the possibility of comparing a Chardonnay made in 10 hl Tuscan jars (cuvée TERRA) with a Chardonnay made in 350-litre oak barrels (cuvée ZH 303); the difference, it is true, is surprising, we were able to realize it during the tasting!
It is the same for the Pinot Noir vines made in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats (Cuvée BRUT NATURE or in 350-litre barrels (Cuvée ZH 318 ).
The history of the region can be divided into three stages:
The terroir of Rouvres-les-Vignes is a soil dating from the Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic stage) and composed of alternating limestone and marl beds rich in fossils. Their sedimentation took place in a marine environment, as a vast sinking movement of the earth's crust caused a major marine transgression. The water depth then reached its peak, which favoured limestone deposits and a sedimentation of marls with Ammonites that can be found in the soils of Rouvres-les-Vignes.
The folds and faults formation of the Tertiary period allowed this Jurassic clay-limestone soil to come to the surface and form the bedrock of this vineyard.
"My philosophy of growing the vines, vinification and winemaking is of course the healthiest, as far as the respect of nature is concerned, but it also leads to a purity and unmatched quality of wine.", says Nathalie FALMET.
For this reason, she grows her vines according to the Sustainable Agriculture principles: treatments are only used in case of important cryptogamic attacks.
The grapes are vinified separately by variety and by plot.
Her desire to produce exceptional champagnes destined for a long cellar ageing will condition the entire winemaking process: no oenological products are used, with the exception of sulphites for the harvest and the use of neutral fermenting yeasts in order to let the grape variety and the terroir express themselves without restraints.
The absence of SO2 treatment during the various winemaking processes requires that all the champagnes undergo their malolactic fermentation for two reasons: the first reason is that stopping a malolactic fermentation requires the use of a large dose of sulphites, which is contrary to the estate philosophy, and the second reason is that it guarantees the microbial stability of the wine over time, which is essential for a long cellar ageing. In addition, in order the malolactic fermentation to take place in good conditions, the alcoholic fermentation must be completed beforehand without any incidents. In order to achieve a complete alcoholic fermentation without any risks of aromatic deviations caused by the development of undesirable microorganisms, Nathalie FALMET uses yeasts selected for their strong fermenting capacity and neutral, so that they have no aromatic influence during the fermentation; the only exception is the TERRA cuvée vinified in Tuscan jars, where she does not add any yeast, she lets the native yeasts work.
Once all the fermentations are complete, the champagnes are aged on slats for 18 months for the BRUT cuvée up to 6 years for the ZH 302 cuvée. After disgorging, no sugar is added for the vast majority of the champagne, so as not to influence the aromatic profile obtained. If sugar is added, it is done with a neutral liqueur d’expédition in order to bring a little sweetness to the champagne but without any aromatic influence.
Nathalie FALMET presents 9 champagnes:
Other cuvée available:
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
Other harvest available:
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
Tasty - Fresh - Sapid
Other harvest available:
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
- Nose: currants, grenadine, white pepper and licorice.
- Palate: round, tasty and slightly vinous. Fine bubbles. Intense finish.
Tasting date: February 2022
OUR OPINION: intense - fruity - spicy. This rosé champagne has a nice length and a great aromatic finesse.
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
Other cuvée available:
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
Tasty - Brioche - Tonic
Other harvest available:
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
Complex - Honeyed - Tonic.
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
Lively - Complex - Well-balanced
The exceptional bottle's weight (1.8kg) may result in higher shipping costs for the final shopping cart.
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