Champagne Discovery

beyond the bubbles

Le Champ du Clos, Vallée de l'Ource - Champagne Charles Dufour

CHAMPAGNE IN NUMBERS

CHAMPAGNE AOC

34,300 hectares

319 villages (crus)

280,000 plots (lieux-dits)

15,700 growers

4,700 récoltants

390 négociants

125 coopératives

CHAMPAGNE IN NUMBERS

GRAPES

Pinot Noir 38%

Chardonnay 31%

Meunier 31%

Historic varieties <0.4%

Arbane, Chardonnay Muscadet, Chardonnay Rose, Fromenteau, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc

CHAMPAGNE IN NUMBERS

BEST MODERN VINTAGES

1982

1985

1988

1996

2002

2008

2012

CHAMPAGNE IN NUMBERS

ABOUT US

We are Gita and Lee, two self-confessed champagne lovers for whom this effervescent drink has been a huge part of our lives since meeting twenty-seven years ago. Our first trip to the region was in 1999 to source bottles for our wedding. Since then, we have been visiting several times a year, have tasted thousands of champagnes and continue to discover amazing new producers, incredible wines and stories. We are immensely passionate about the top quality smaller domaines who tell a narrative through their creations, from vineyard to bottle. As well as the bubbles, Champagne is home to some excellent still white, red and rosés too; not to forget Ratafia and Marc de Champagne. This famous region is fortunate to be home to a myriad of World class winemakers, producing an array of diverse wines, we really are spoilt for choice. We love wine, we absolutely adore champagne!

Tchin tchin!

ŒNOTHÈQUE

CHAMPAGNE OF THE MONTH

Champagne of the Month
EMELINE DE SLOOVERE
Nº4 Les Cochonnes

Our “Champagne of the Month” for October 2026 was created by Emeline de Sloovere who is based in the village of Brugny-Vaudancourt on the Côteaux Sud d’Épernay.

A young winemaker, Emeline has chosen the path of sustainability and ecology from which to base her business. A fifth-generation winemaker, she took over the 8h family estate ten years ago. Eschewing the use of chemicals herbicides and pesticides, the vineyard is maintained through the method of enherbement along with organic composts and treatments; further enhanced by agroforestry principles; assisted by husband and winemaker Vincent Cuillier. Fruit bushes, flowers and bird houses complement biodiversity across the estate. Emeline has removed all plastic from her packaging which is recycled and recyclable and also uses recycled paper for her labels as well as for her cork seals, negating the use of aluminium sleeves. In fact, she was the first winemaker in Champagne to be authorised to do this.

Just 643 bottles were produced of Nº4 Les Cochonnes - a single vineyard wine consisting entirely of Meunier from the clay-limestone soils of Vaudancourt where the lieu-dit enjoys a South-East exposure and the slope ranges from 120-350m elevation. The wine comes from the 2019 harvest, vinified in old fûts de chêne with 10 months on the lees and bottled in Autumn 2020. A further 48 months lees ageing in the bottle prior to disgorgement without the addition of dosage in May 2024. Alcohol is at 12.5% abv

Tasted 15:45 Sunday 27th September 2026 (fruit day in the lunar calendar)

Glassware: Lehmann Jamesse Absolus

Appearance: Clear, medium, lemon.

Characteristics: Pronounced intensity with primary aromas of geranium, Bramley apple, red apple, quince, pear, pear drops, chiku, lemon juice, lemon rind, mandarin, grapefruit, passion fruit, honeydew melon, lychee, Mirabelle and rhubarb compôte. There are secondary notes of sablé, fresh bread dough, toast, short crust pastry, charred wood, cloves and lemon meringue pie. Tertiary aromas include dried apricot, dried apple, marmalade, marzipan, almond brittle, hay and honey.

Price circa €55.00

We had the pleasure of tasting Emeline’s wine during Printemps 2026 in April. They are super bright, vivacious and bursting with fruit. One to watch!