De Sloovere-Pienne

De Sloovere-Pienne is a family estate in Brugny-Vaudancourt, about ten minutes by car from Épernay. The know-how has been passed down through five generations. Today mother and daughter run the house and focus on the quality and diversity of their champagnes. The daughter also works under her own name: alongside the De Sloovere-Pienne range there are cuvées released as Emeline De Sloovere.

Vineyards and approach

The 8 hectares of vines are spread across the terroirs of the Côteaux d'Épernay, the Ardre Valley, the Côte des Blancs and the Marne Valley. All three champagne grape varieties are grown: Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The estate's own text speaks of subtle blends of these varieties, so the grapes are not limited to Meunier and Chardonnay.

The estate describes its farming as viticulture raisonnée, that is, controlled, environmentally aware viticulture. No organic certification is documented in the sources. For some years now the estate has been pursuing an ecological transition: it spreads compost, uses cover crops between the rows and aims to restore biodiversity. The champagnes come exclusively from the first pressing, the cuvée.

The cuvées

The range is broad. Gault&Millau lists, among others, Carte d'Or, Réserve, Prestige, Empreinte, Ange and a Rosé. Then there are the Emeline De Sloovere cuvées Psyché, Patience and 75/25. Scores range from 89 to 92 out of 100, with Ange reaching 92 points. Wine-Searcher lists the Empreinte as a Brut Nature made from Pinot Meunier.

Visiting and tasting

The house welcomes visitors at the farm, La Grange le Comte. According to the Comité Champagne, opening hours are daily from 10:00 to 17:30. A cellar tour and tasting are offered, in French and English. The estate also runs several other formats, including a blending workshop, a Cave à Manger with a menu and champagne pairing, and a sabrage class. Booking ahead is advisable, by telephone on +33 3 26 54 31 24.