Monial

Colombé-le-Sec lies in the Côte des Bar in the Aube département, about 15 kilometres from Clairvaux Abbey. Away from the village stands the Monial estate. From 1194 the Cistercians of Clairvaux had grapes picked here and the wine made and aged in the cellar. According to tradition, the cellar was built on the orders of Bernard of Clairvaux. Today the house is run by the Calon-Egger family.

The Cistercian cellar

The heart of the estate is the 12th-century cellar. It measures 600 square metres and, according to the tourist offices, is unique in Champagne. It has been protected as a Monument historique since 1919. Two openings in the vaulting, the oculi, show how the monks worked: they pressed the grapes on the upper floor, and the must ran straight down into the cellar. Today the bottles age on their lees there. According to the house, the riddling is done entirely by hand on pupitres.

Family, vines and way of working

According to Gault&Millau, Emmanuel and Agnès Calon founded the estate in 2008. The Hachette wine guide has the family settled in Colombé-le-Sec as early as 1989 and gives 2007 as the start of the cellar's use. The tourist offices speak of a family that has owned the estate for four generations. The vines grow on clay and limestone soils, two thirds Pinot Noir and one third Chardonnay. The Guide Hachette lists 2.3 hectares of vines, and Emmanuel Calon also farms 300 hectares of cereals. The house practises organic viticulture, certified AB.

Cuvées

• Communio: a brut with 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, lightly dosed.
• Libera Me: as a blanc de noirs from pure Pinot Noir and as a brut nature.
• Lux Aeterna: as a blanc de blancs brut nature and as a rosé.
• Sylvès: with Chardonnay and barrel-fermented Pinot Noir.
• Terra Æterna: born of the conversion to organic farming, 98% Pinot Noir and 2% Chardonnay, dosed at 7 g/L.

Visit and tasting

Monial offers guided visits of the estate and the cellar, with a tasting and the chance to buy. The chapel with its large stained-glass window is part of the tour. According to the Comité Champagne, visits are possible daily by appointment, and groups can book all year round. The telephone number is +33 3 25 27 02 04.