Digital Producer Information
The history of the Domaine de Bichery is exemplary of the generational change that has taken hold in wine-growing regions all over the world in recent years.
Located in Neuville-sur-Seine in the Côte des Bar, the winery was created from a grape producer's business when his son Raphaël returned to the business in 2013 after studying and doing internships in Bordeaux, Switzerland and Burgundy and was able to take over 7 hectares of vineyards.
Together with his wife Hannah, whom he met while working in Bordeaux, the two produced their first champagne in 2015 with 5,000 bottles and switched to organic farming and "low-intervention winemaking" in 2016 and received organic certification in 2019.
The aim of the two is to produce small quantities of the finest winemaker champagne, the targeted annual production is around 8,000 bottles and stylistically, a strong focus on the terroir and the influence of Raphaël's time in Burgundy are key influences, for example, the base wines mature in used Burgundy barrels and fermentation takes place partly in stainless steel and partly in barriques.
As for the grape varieties, the red varieties predominate, typical for the region, with Pinot Noir making up more than half of the vineyards (67%), the rest being mainly Chardonnay and a small part of Pinot Meunier.
The harvest takes place at a time when the grapes are very ripe, in addition, neither terroirs nor vintages are enveloped and, in addition to cellar management, geography and geology are key influencing factors.
The soils and climate are very different from the rest of Champagne and are much closer to northern Burgundy, both figuratively and geographically.
The champagnes are produced with minimal sulfur and no dosages, are characterized by a more wine-like style, juicy and not austere, with the Burgundian influence coming into play again - in the glass you have Burgundy with pearls. The rosé in particular is more of a (light) Pinot with "bubbles" and all champagnes go excellently with food, which can also be a little heartier.
Facts: R.M., Neuville sur Seine, Côte des Bar, 2.5 ha, approx. 8500 bottles/year
Organic certification: FR-BIO-01