Champagne Marc: 12 Generations Dedicated to Quality

Arthur is the 12th generation of his family to work atthe Marc estate in Fleury-la-Rivière,Champagne. Together with his son, who has joined him in this venture, they preserve the best of traditional techniques to produce high-quality champagnes.

MARC: A Family Business for 12 Generations

The Marc estate has been in the family for 12 generations. Arthur Marc has been working there since 1975, and his son joined him five years ago. Together, they cultivate 4 hectares of vineyards, 90% of which are planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with the remainder planted with Pinot Meunier.

Arthur had always wanted to take over the family estate where his father had worked before him. Even as a young boy, he would accompany his father into the vineyards, so taking over the estate was a natural progression.

Back when his grandfather worked on the estate, only one Champagne cuvée was produced. His father began expanding the selection, and Arthur continued this work by expanding the MARC Champagne range to eight cuvées.

Every MARC Champagne tells a story

When he talks about his champagnes, Arthur tells a story about each one. “The rosé is called Rosé Chéri. We gave it this name in reference to the estate’s history,” he tells us, “the wealthy owner, a courtier at the court of Louis XIII, was exiled from court due to romantic entanglements that led him to challenge a marquis to a duel.” This romantic legend gave the rosé champagne its name.

There are also vintages that are given Latin names: “Perla Nera, Perla Rosa, and Ultima are our exceptional vintages. “We chose Latin because it’s beautiful and it’s the origin of our language,” explains Arthur. There is also “Vintage 328, the fine year 2011,” for the vintage champagne, whose name refers to the 328th harvest year of the Marc house.

“Vintage champagnes are produced depending on the year; we don’t make them every year. The key to these cuvées is ensuring excellent quality,” Arthur emphasizes.

Traditional craftsmanship dedicated to quality

The goal? “To produce very well-balanced champagnes,” says Arthur, and to achieve this, the blending process is essential: “You have to make sure that the grape varieties complement each other in the cuvée and that none of them dominates, otherwise the champagne loses its balance.”

Arthur has preserved his ancestors’ very traditional working methods, which enable him to produce high-quality champagnes. He explains: “The grapes are pressed using a traditional manual press. We use only the first pressings because they are better and of higher quality: more complex, more acidic, and richer in sugar. Even though this reduces the quantity, the quality is far superior.”

“What sets us apart is that we don’t undergo malolactic fermentation. This allows us to produce fresh, lively, and citrusy wines. Especially since global warming is having a significant impact in Champagne: alcohol levels are rising and acidity is falling,” explains Arthur.

In the vineyard, sustainable farming is the rule: “We operate differently each year, depending on the needs and conditions. When conditions are good, we can drastically reduce the use of pesticides,” explains the winemaker. For the past three years, they have also been experimenting with cover cropping between the rows because, as Arthur puts it, “the soil doesn’t like to lie bare; it needs to be covered.” The clover is planted to limit weeds and avoid plowing, which “requires a lot of work and is very polluting,” notes Arthur.

“In the end,” he concludes on the subject, “wine is like children. You raise them, and then once they’re in the bottle, you have no control over them anymore. They develop on their own, just as they please.”

“Online sales are the future”

“Beyond trade shows and export markets, our goal today is to expand our online presence. Thanks to the Les Grappes website , as well as our own, we can sell directly online. We’re also working on our visibility on social media. We believe that’s where the future lies. To that end, our current plan is to improve our online presence,” the winemaker concludes pragmatically.