Henri Chauvet

The house of Henri Chauvet is based in Rilly-la-Montagne, a village on the northern slope of the Montagne de Reims, not far from Reims. The champagne grew out of the tradition of four generations of growers. The house's own website gives 1890 as the starting point. The Hachette wine guide, however, dates the founding to 1900 and names Henri Chauvet as founder, grower and nurseryman. Either way, the family history goes back more than 120 years.

The family and their vines

Today the estate is run by Damien Chauvet, the fourth generation of the family, and his wife Mathilde. Damien Chauvet has managed the estate since 1987. The domaine farms 8 hectares of vines around Rilly-la-Montagne. Rilly is a premier cru village on the doorstep of Reims. According to the directories, the varieties grown are chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, with pinot noir forming the backbone. The estate is certified Haute Valeur Environnementale and is a member of the Vignerons Indépendants.

The wines

The Chauvets work in the traditional way. They still riddle the bottles by hand in their chalk cellars and only carry out dégorgement when an order is due to ship. The range includes a blanc de noirs, made from 90 per cent pinot noir and 10 per cent pinot meunier. The British importer Private Cellar describes it as fresh and precise. For the Brut Réserve, it puts chardonnay at 70 per cent in the foreground and mentions 30 per cent reserve wines. These proportions come from the importer and may vary from one bottling to the next. Hachette Vins also lists a brut nature.

Visit and tasting

The visit takes you through the press house, the fermentation room and the old vaulted cellars, and ends with a tasting of two to three cuvées. Booking is required. Tours are offered in French, English and Italian. The address is 6 Rue de la Liberté, 51500 Rilly-la-Montagne, telephone +33 3 26 03 42 69. It is best to ask about opening hours by phone.