The house sits on a gentle hillside. In the heart of the “Côtes des Blancs” (the ‘white coast’), along the Champagne route, between the towns of Epernay and Monmort-Lucy.
Vanessa is the daughter and granddaughter of winemakers. Her family home was in the village of Avize. Xavier is a Chtimi (native from the north of France). But he fell in love with the winemaker’s daughter, and with winemaking at the same time. For both of them wine is a second career. She used to work in logistics. He used to crisscross the world for an American group as a maintenance engineer. Together they decided to take over the family business.
That was five years ago, when Vanessa’s parents retired. Xavier takes care of the vineyard and cellar operations, she takes care of the back office and customer relations. Their small estate encompasses less than seven hectares, split in about thirty plots, located in the “Côte des Blancs”, in the Southern coast of Epernay and in the Marne Valley. They practice integrated agriculture and sustainable viticulture, which means that they intervene as little as they can, and do not use pesticides. Even on wet and difficult years such as 2016 has been. They are just starting to market their first bottles. They named their Champagne ‘By Fernand’, after Vanessa’s grandfather. Their wines are classy, round and with little dosage. “They are the kind of Champagnes we like to drink ourselves, admits Vanessa, first and foremost we try to make products that we enjoy.”
Part of this enjoyment has been breaking the rules when it comes to packaging and labelling. The By Fernand range of Champagnes displays neon colored labels with minimalist geometric lettering. “Champagne is a celebration, Vanessa says, the idea is to give it color without taking away any of its nobility.”
The brut cuvee has an orange label. Even though it is a non-vintage brut (NVB), it has spent three years maturing on the lees. Vanessa and Xavier named it ‘Retour aux sources’ (back to the roots), a self-evident name they felt, since they have actually gone back to their land and family. At the same time, the name was meant to be an invitation to consumers to also go back to craftmanship and simpler pleasures, away from the marketing frenzy of major Champagne houses.
The extra-brut cuvée, named ‘A l’Etat sauvage’ (wilderness), and made from the 2011 and 2010 vintages, has an intense blue label. The Blanc de Blancs, called ‘Emotions subtiles’ (subtle emotions) is clothed in grey and has a dosage of 6 grams. But the cuvée that Vanessa and Xavier enjoy the most these days is the Blanc de Noirs, an extra-brut cuvée, that they have named ‘L’Insolent’ (the insolent). This 100% Pinot Noir wine comes from old vines and very low yields. It is solidly fruity. The nose displays lemon drops aromas, the attack is lively but not aggressive, the palate is round. Overall the wine is surprising and seductive. Talking about the low yields, Xavier reminds us that “working the vineyard is losing grapes each step of the way and one must make great efforts to minimise the loss and produce a beautiful crop.”
Vanessa and Xavier have set up their shop and tasting space right next to their family home. Instead of next to the winery as is usually the case. The idea was to be able to entertain their customers as friends. The modern looking space includes a bar area, a lounge and even a terrace overlooking the vineyards. Everyone can feel right at home.
Château Belmar is run by a man and a woman who set themselves a crazy challenge: producing wine in the northern Sarthe region.
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