Montgueux

Location

About ten kilometres west-north-west of Troyes, Montgueux rises above the surrounding countryside. The village sits on a hill 269 metres high, roughly a hundred metres above the plain of Troyes. Neighbouring communes include Saint-Lyé, Barberey-Saint-Sulpice, La Chapelle-Saint-Luc, Torvilliers, Messon and Macey. As of 1 January 2023 the village had 386 inhabitants. It belongs to the arrondissement of Troyes and the canton of Saint-Lyé.

Soil and viticulture

The hill is made up mostly of chalk, interspersed with pockets of red clay and plenty of flint. Add to that slopes that face south, and you have an ideal combination for vines. Around 200 hectares are classified by the INAO as Champagne land, while according to the Union des Marques & Maisons de Champagne the vineyard covers 209 hectares. A few further parcels may be added to the production zone in future.

The grape variety breakdown differs markedly from the Champagne average:

• Chardonnay: 90%
• Pinot Noir: 9.1%
• Pinot Meunier: 0.5%

Of the 90 growers in the village, 24 make their own champagne every year, around 430,000 bottles in total. Because of the altitude and the dominance of chardonnay, Montgueux is sometimes called the "Montrachet of Champagne". The commune has no grand cru or premier cru status, but that does nothing to harm the reputation of its wines: if you appreciate blanc de blancs with tension and a mineral edge, this is a name worth knowing.

“Its spire stood exposed to the wind and collapsed in 1737 and again in 1910.

Buying is mostly a matter of going straight to the grower. Apart from the champagne producers, the village has no permanent shops, as Troyes is simply too close.

History

The name probably derives from "Mons Gothorum", the hill of the Goths, which points to a Germanic settlement in Roman times. Montgueux is also considered one of the possible sites of the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451. In the 16th century the village was taken over by Nicolas Riglet, mayor of Troyes, who is buried in the church. On 8 June 1944, German troops shot 15 resistance fighters. A memorial at the Trou de Chirac commemorates them.

Drappier Champagner

Things to see

The church of Exaltation-de-la-Sainte-Croix dates from the 16th century. Its spire stood exposed to the wind and collapsed in 1737 and again in 1910. It was never rebuilt. Water is another curiosity: it is scarce on the hill, which is why wells were dug as deep as 30 or 50 metres. When the "Singing Well" was being built in 1789, workers hit a chasm at least 62 metres deep. The climb is also worth it for the view across the plain of Troyes.