Christian Senez

Champagne Cristian Senez is a family-run estate in Fontette, in the Aube département, in the heart of the Côte des Bar. The founder spells his name Cristian, not Christian. He began as a farm labourer and later became cellar master of the Fontette cooperative. In 1950 he bought a few ares of vineyard land and cleared it. He built a cellar, launched his own brand in 1973 and took on négociant status in 1985.

Family and vineyards

Cristian and his wife Josette handed the house over to their daughter Angélique and son-in-law Frédéric. The founder kept buying and clearing further plots on the slopes of the Barséquanais. The figures for the vineyard area vary. One current directory gives 21 hectares, farmed using sustainable methods with HVE certification (Haute Valeur Environnementale). Older sources speak of 24 and 30 hectares. The grapes grown are Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Pinot Blanc is the special one, a very rare variety in Champagne, from which the house makes its own cuvées. The soils are clay and limestone.

The wines

Pinot Noir dominates and is made without malolactic fermentation to keep the freshness. The top cuvée is a blanc de noirs from 100 per cent Pinot Noir, aged for over 30 months. Other cuvées include the Brut Carte Verte, half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay, and the Brut Rosé de Saignée. In 2020 the Guide Véron described a range of eleven champagnes, 25 per cent of which are exported.

Visiting and tasting

Tastings and sales take place right at the estate. The house also offers guided visits. It is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 12 noon and from 1.30 pm to 6 pm. On Saturdays a visit is possible by arrangement. It is worth checking the opening hours by phone beforehand, on +33 3 25 29 60 62. The route also leads to Essoyes, where Auguste Renoir is buried, seven kilometres from Fontette.