Winegrowers’ portraits Vinay
In the 60s Jean Diot established his estate south-west of Épernay, in the rural commune of Vinay, now a beautiful wine-producing village.
His children took over in 1998, united the family vineyards, organised a house to receive customers and developed the facilities with a new building to house the wine press and vat room. His son, Jean-Philippe, is on the ground today, looking after the vineyard and vinification, extending the range, producing and offering customized champagnes to professionals!
Bucolic is the word for the rural commune of Vinay and the area south-west of Épernay! A river runs through the heart of the village, the Cubry (meaning “stream of raven” in old Gallic) which, in the 19th century, supplied fifteen mills and as many tanneries before joining the Marne at Épernay. Champagne Jean Diot is installed at the centre of what is now a wine-producing village. Jean-Philippe, the boy in the family, worked in a chartered accountancy firm before taking over the estate.
Upon his arrival in 1998 this wine-producer joined forces with his wife, his sister and brother-in-law. The domain, the majority of which is planted with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir vinified in parcels, has plots on well-exposed southfacing slopes, terroirs that are steep, stony and rocky, and sometimes difficult to access. These mature vines (about 40 years old) have roots that plunge deep into the chalky soil and produce grapes with a lot of mineral salts, therefore very tasty.
Jean-Philippe maintains the vineyard with two workers who help him to plough a hectare and a half and to practise sustainable cultivation. To be autonomous in terms of elaboration, “the goal being the wine”, as Jean-Philippe who is passionate about vinification explains, he, his wife, sister and brother-in-law extended his parents' facilities by adding a new building for pressing, bottling and vinification. It overlooks the family courtyard where a plum tree bows with fruit and hens wander about freely, and has a superb view of the surrounding vineyard, slopes and villages.
Château Belmar is run by a man and a woman who set themselves a crazy challenge: producing wine in the northern Sarthe region.
In the spring of 2022, Champagne Philipponnat celebrated its 500th anniversary during two exceptional dinners, in Reims and in Paris. Charles Philipponnat, the 15th generation, who has been...
During the harvest, we discovered some of Gérard Bertrand's properties. This is definitely a real eye-opener for the identity and personality of the wines!