Champagne Gaston Révolte 1er Cru

Winegrowers’ portraits Avenay-Val-D’or

Champagne Gaston Révolte 1er Cru

A wine worthy of the terroir,
Champagne from Avenay-Val-D’or

From father to son, the same combat
for unpolluted land and healthy vines;
the same way of life in the vineyard
at Avenay-Val-D’or (a small village
on the edges of the Montagne de Reims)
to produce a Champagne worthy of the terroir.

On the hillsides of Gaston Révolte at Avenay-Val-D'or, the draught horse working in the vineyard.

In 1963, Gaston Révolte, the husband of a winemaker from Avenay, put his name on the label. In 2013, the brand is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. At the helm are his only son, Hubert, and wife Hélène, a winemaker from Narbonne. These young people are fully determined to produce fine wines as in Burgundy and have done the necessary to achieve this.
In 2006, the Gaston Révolte wine Estate reintroduced the horse drawn plough in the vineyard to till and to transport the harvested grapes – virtually unheard of! A first in the Champagne region! A man and a horse walking along the lanes between the vines may seem like an outdated image, but this ancestral technique respects the earth and saves it from compression. Hubert wasn't a horseman but his common sense advocated natural growing methods. The meeting with Axel Bizouard from Burgundy, a trainer in horse traction, and Robert Champion from the Meuse, who breeds Ardennes draught horses, convinced him: “The work of the horse in the vineyard re-establishes the natural balances, revitalises the soil and improves the resistance of the plants, in return for six passages a year”.


Hélène Révolte in the wine cellar, looking for a few bottles.

Who's counting when you're passionate about something? Hubert maintains, with three workers, his property comprising five hectares in Avenay-Val-D’or 1er Cru and one hectare, again in 1er Cru, in Mutigny, the nearest village, planted with 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay.

“I make Champagne, but first of all I make wine, and a Champagne worthy of the terroir”, he explains. The old-timers used to say that Avenay on its own was enough for blending. It is a very hilly village, and all the slopes have different exposure. Hubert specifies: “Even the north-facing slopes, near the station, as they are not surrounded by woods, are considered precocious. The soil is very chalky in Avenay, with slightly more clay in Mutigny. I make use of this fine nature to produce a cru, a village Champagne. My estate is made up of several small plots. I vinify hillside by hillside in enamelled steel vats of 25, 50 and 100 hectos. I use a traditional “Coquard” wine press … made of stainless steel, a curiosity!


The Champagnes worthy of the terroir from Gaston Révolte.

Hubert Révolte and his bottles of Champagne wrapped in tissue paper, ready to be shipped.

I age my bottles according to high tradition, leaving them to rest ten metres underground for several years, in the former cellars of the Sainte Berthe Abbey dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, then riddle on racks, neck down, with an eighth of a turn for four to six weeks.

I produce approximately 40,000 bottles. My best-seller is the Cuvée du 3e Millénaire, from a single grape variety - 100% Pinot Noir, a single growth of Avenay, a single plot from the hamlet of Les Plantels, made from vines that are over forty years old. It stays in the wine cellar for five to ten years and its savours on the palate are round and fruity, really delicious!

Price-wise, the first wine in the range is the Cuvée Brut Tradition, an equal combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Other vintages, other hallmarks: the Cuvée Spéciale Brut composed of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay; and the deep-coloured Rosé de Saignée, that can accompany a whole meal.
The Cuvée du Millénaire won a prix d’excellence at Vinalies 2001, but I don't enter competitions much, I present my wines at the Paris Agricultural Fair, at the Vendanges in Montmartre. The reputation of Champagne Gaston Révolte is spreading by word of mouth, to a special clientele who appreciate the meticulous care I take over both the vines and the wines. My bot­tles are wrapped in tissue paper before they are placed in the shipping crates, another example of old-fashioned att­tion to detail!
Lastly, with three other winegrowers, I have set up the association called Des Champagnes et des Terroirs which, in the autumn 2014, will organise the first Fes­tival des Vins de Champagneet de Terroirs in Avenay-Val-D’or, sponsored by Philippe Faure-Brac”. Take note of the date…

Marie-Caroline Bourrellis







Champagne Gaston Révolte
20, rue Gambetta
51160 Avenay-Val-d’Or
Tel. : +33 (0) 3 26 52 31 46
champagne-gaston-revolte.com