Emmanuel Brochet

Emmanuel took over the family parcels in the 1er cru village of Villers-aux-Noeuds, just south of the city of Reims, in 1997 when the last lease on the family parcel had expired. The village once boasted 200 hectares of vines, but shortly after the turn of the 19th Century, many of those vineyards became victim to market forces and were razed for the expansion of the city. The best hillside parcels remained intact, including Le Mont Benoit. The parcel is composed of clay, silt and limestone and benefits from a southeastern exposure. Emmanuel’s 2.5 hectares come entirely from this parcel and the oldest vines were planted in 1962. It is

certainly an advantage to have an isolated parcel of land in a region that ranks high in the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemical cocktails dumped and sprayed in the vineyards. It minimizes the contact and negative impact from less scrupulous neighbors who don’t share the same respect for the land. Le Mont Benoit is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. However, Emmanuel believes it is often the case that each varietal harmonizes in a way that expresses the character of the parcel more than the character of the varietal. Chalk one up for the effect of terroir.

Emmanuel began transitioning to organic farming soon after he took over in 1997 and by 2005 he stopped using all synthetic treatments. He sold his fruit to negociants until 2003, when he made his first wine under his own label. In 2008 he began the process of organic certification by Ecocert. While he doesn’t believe that organic viticulture will always necessarily result in better wine, he does it out of respect for the land. “The way I came to organic farming was not through any sort of militant philosophy, but through the pleasure of wine,” he says. “If you take pleasure in what you do, and if your environment gives you pleasure, your work will be better. It’s a question of harmony.”

In 2006 he acquired a 2000-kilogram vertical press, half the size of a standard traditional press, which allows him to separate as many different lots as possible according to variety, 

vine age and location within the vineyard and vinify them separately. Emmanuel seeks to get the juice fermenting as quickly as possible, within 24 to 30 hours after the grapes have been picked. From the press, the juice goes into tanks for a short débourbage (settling of the lees) and then goes into barrel for fermentation. Emmanuel uses a quartz yeast cultivated by Jean-Pierre Fleury, iconic biodynamic grower in the Côte des Bar.

To date, Emmanuel produces two distinct wines from this single parcel: Le Mont Benoit Non Vintage and Le Mont Benoit Vintage. Both wines are unique and have begun to establish Emmanuel Brochet among the likes of other grower-producers like Cedric Bouchard, Dominique Moreau, Emmanuel Lassaigne, and Jérôme Prévost, who craft champagnes that are a unique expression of a single terroir.

Le Mont Benoit, n.v. production 7000 bottles approx.

Le Mont Benoit N.V. is in fact 80% juice originating from a single vintage with the balance coming from a tank which blends the remaining 20% of the same vintage as well as the 20% share from each preceeding vintage. In this manner, Emmanuel is able to maintain, in small measure, a sense of continuity in style while adding complexity to the finished wine. The majority of the wine which composes this cuvée goes through malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine is intensely aromatic and displays a honeyed, chenin-like quality.

White floral and yellow fruit dominate the nose while the palate is richly textured. The wine is bottled in the late summer prior to the following harvest and aged three to four years and released only when Emmanuel feels it is ready. The majority of the wine is dosed at four grams per liter at bottling but a limited amount is prepared with zero dosage.

Vintage Le Mont Benoit is made from the coeur de cuvée, or heart of the first pressing, which Emmanuel says produces a more harmonious wine. After a short débourbage, the wine goes into barrel for fermentation and will stay on its fermentation lees until their first racking in January. With the malos blocked, the wine will rest on the fine lees until bottling in July, without fining or filtering. It is released no less than four years after bottling and disgorged with four grams per liter. This elegant wine is a mix of ripe orchard fruit and is exquisitely balanced.