Eric Rodez

The house of Rodez is in Ambonnay, a grand cru village on the Montagne de Reims. The family has worked the vines there since 1757. After six years as a winemaker at Krug, Eric Rodez founded his own label in 1984. Other sources give a shorter time at Krug. Today he runs the estate together with his son Mickaël, the ninth generation. Mickaël has been responsible for the wines since 2020.

Vineyards and approach

The estate covers around six hectares, spread over 35 parcels, all of them in Ambonnay. Pinot noir and chardonnay are grown, with pinot noir in the majority. The sources differ on the proportions, giving figures between 60 and 70 per cent.

Respect for the vineyard is the central theme on the house's website. It states that root herbicides and fertilisers, which could distort the natural minerality, are forbidden. According to several sources, the impetus came from the disappointing first vintage, 1984. After that, soil care moved to the centre of the work. In 2012 the estate became the first in France to receive HVE certification, and in the same year it gained organic certification, followed three years later by Demeter certification. Eric Rodez was also mayor of Ambonnay from 2008 to 2014.

In the cellar and in the glass

The wines are aged in small oak barrels, without cold stabilisation and without filtration. Each parcel is vinified separately. Reserve wine plays a large part. The range includes:

• Cuvée des Crayères: a cuvée of 60 per cent pinot noir and 40 per cent chardonnay, made exclusively from grand cru sites in Ambonnay
• Blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs: one made from 100 per cent chardonnay, the other from 100 per cent pinot noir
• Single-vineyard bottlings: Les Beurys (pinot noir) and Les Genettes (chardonnay)
• Coteaux Champenois: still wines such as the Hauts Tourets

Visiting

Visits are possible by appointment only, subject to availability. The house points out that sales run through reservation and allocation, mainly to long-standing customers and trade partners. A spontaneous purchase at the cellar door is therefore not guaranteed. The address is 4 rue de Isse, 51150 Ambonnay.