Coizard-Joches

Coizard-Joches has 94 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023) and is one of the very quiet corners of Champagne. The commune has no grand cru or premier cru status. What it does offer is a landscape where vineyards, woodland, farmland and wetland lie close together.

Location

The commune lies in the south-west of the Marne département, in the canton of Dormans-Paysages de Champagne and the arrondissement of Épernay. It covers 1,078 hectares, with altitudes ranging from 138 to 231 metres. The village of Coizard sits in the centre, with Joches further to the west. To the south the land slopes down towards the Petit Morin valley and the Marais de Saint-Gond. Beyond the marshes lies the hamlet of La Verrerie.

By road it is 41 kilometres to Châlons-en-Champagne and 35 kilometres to Épernay. Sézanne, whose catchment area the commune belongs to, is 22 kilometres away.

Viticulture and landscape

In agricultural terms Coizard-Joches belongs to the Champagne crayeuse, the chalk Champagne. In the north of the commune, above Coizard, is the highest point, with a wooded summit. On its south-facing slope stand vines of the Champagne appellation. The vineyard area is small: according to the Corine Land Cover survey (2018), permanent crops account for only 3 per cent of the commune's land. Arable land dominates at 61.9 per cent, followed by 18.9 per cent wetland, 8 per cent woodland and 5.7 per cent meadow.

“Coizard-Joches has 94 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023) and is one of the very quiet corners of Champagne.

The climate is temperate with fresh summers. The nearest Météo-France weather station, at Chouilly, 25 kilometres away, recorded an average of 11.4 °C and 668.9 millimetres of rainfall a year from 1991 to 2020. The heat record there is 40.3 °C (25 July 2019), the cold record minus 12.3 °C (5 February 2012).

Landkarte der Champagne, Lexikon

The Marais de Saint-Gond

The marshes to the south are designated as a protected area (ZNIEFF type I) and form part of the Natura 2000 network. The site extends over about 3,200 hectares and 13 communes of the Marne. In the Petit Morin valley it holds calcareous peat bogs. 43 rare or protected plant species grow here, and the habitat is particularly favourable to amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies and birds.

History and sights

Coizard is first mentioned in 1131 as "Coherardus", and Joches in the same year as "Joche". By decree of 22 June 1847, Coizard absorbed the commune of Joches and has been called Coizard-Joches ever since.

Two buildings are listed as protected monuments:

• the church of Saint-André in Coizard, a Monument historique since 1916
• the Grottes du Razet, a Monument historique since 1926

If you would like to get to know Champagne away from the big names, you will find here a rural village with a few vines, chalk soil and plenty of nature.