Mailly-Champagne

When Francis Boulard decided to continue the family tradition of champagne production in 2009, biodynamic work was an obvious choice. His grandfather already worked like that, working the vineyards with a horse.

The vineyards are located around Cormicy, northwest of Reims, in what is called 'La Petite Montagne de Reims'. They are either organic or biodynamically certified and father and daughter Delphine take into account the biodynamic lunar calendar: it prescribes which days are best for pruning, ploughing or picking, for example.

The family estate owns three hectares of vineyard, almost equally divided between Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

In the cellar, the makers wait for spontaneous alcoholic fermentation that takes place in old barrels of different sizes. The bâtonnage, the stirring of the yeast cells in the wine for a rounder, more complex taste, also takes place on days that are suitable for this according to the biodynamic calendar.

Boulard's champagnes are lively, exciting and very dry: a large part of the collection is brut nature, the others contain at most small amounts of sugar.