CHAMPAGNE BENOIT MUNIER

Located in Cuis, at the gateway to the Côte des Blancs, we cultivate 1.6 hectares spread across 33 plots in Cramant, Avize, Oger, Chouilly, Cuis, and Bouzy. A little anecdote from the estate: I've always been fascinated by winemaking. As a child, I didn't play doctor, but I played winemaker! I've never lied to myself and I've always tried to follow my passions. I enjoy experimenting with new and old techniques. On several occasions, I've applied an apple pectin-based elicitor to certain plots to combat spring frosts. I've also tried treating some plots affected by powdery mildew with garlic and milk. My goal is to work as healthily as possible and to perfect my craft in order to produce exceptional grapes and Champagne wines. The Story of the Estate: In 2015, we converted our entire vineyard to sustainable farming practices, using no herbicides or insecticides, and our Bouzy plot to chemical-free cultivation. We continue to prioritize manual labor, giving each of our plots individual attention, as if they were our children, with their own unique character and differences. Each new growing season allows us to experiment with new practices, question our methods, and refine the experiences of previous years. Even after 20 years in the business, we continue to learn because the vine and nature never behave in the same way. Today, we cultivate one-third of our vineyard without chemicals, following the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture. I don't claim any specific label, but I believe in responsible, ecological viticulture that respects our environment. Part of our wines is vinified in stainless steel tanks, and the other part in barrels. In both cases, our wines are low in dosage and sulfites. For the past eight years, we have been experimenting with single-vineyard vinification, blending our plots in the vineyard shortly before harvest, according to the ripeness of the grapes and the specific characteristics of each plot, particularly those related to the subsoil and exposure. For these cuvées, we have abandoned chaptalization, enzyme addition, racking, filtration, and cold stabilization, with the aim of crafting expressive and complex Champagnes while respecting and adapting to the wine's potential. We believe that the quality of a Champagne is determined in the vineyard. Our philosophy is to harvest very ripe, healthy, and flawless grapes. "We only pick the bunches we would want to eat." Our role is then simply to guide the must, allowing it to express its full potential. Of course, we don't intend to stop there and hope to ensure the long-term viability of our vineyard in the coming years and continue our journey towards cleaner, healthier, and more natural viticulture—for ourselves, for you, and for future generations. The pride of the estate: Our story begins in 1914 when Constant, my maternal great-grandfather, arrived from Mayenne to the Eastern Front, near Reims. After the war, he settled in Bouzy and bought a small plot of land where he planted Chardonnay vines. During the Second World War, my maternal grandmother, Emilienne, arrived with her meager suitcase from Boulogne-sur-Mer due to the exodus. She found work in Bouzy and married André, Constant's son. In 1957, the family, with its four children (including Marie-Claude), moved to Cramant because André found work there. Gradually, the couple bought small plots of vines in Cramant. A few years later, my mother, Marie-Claude, met Patrice, my father, a true Cramant native. They each worked for a Champagne house and married in 1972 in Cramant. My parents dedicated their lives to building our estate by buying small plots in the Côte des Blancs, in the terroirs of Cramant, Avize, Chouilly, Oger, and Cuis. In the late 1990s, I gradually took over from my parents with the firm intention of forging my own path.