Champagne Grumier

The Grumiers have been winegrowers since the 18th century. In 1928, Amand Grumier started his own production. Son Maurice took over the helm in 1945. At that time, only one cuvée was produced, this consisted almost exclusively of Meunier. Son Guy then brought dynamism to the estate by planting the first white grape varieties, investing in modern equipment and expanding the estate from 2 to 6 hectares. Son Fabien followed his father’s momentum and has been running the business since 2006, assisted by his wife Hélène.

Of the vineyards, 4.5 hectares are on the right bank of the Marne in the villages of Venteuil, Damery and Reuil with chalky soils and some clay and sand on the tops. Another 4.5 hectares are on the left bank in Festigny (mainly limestone) and in Dormans (clay soil). The terroir of Festigny offers the perfect conditions for Meunier, the characteristic grape variety of the Marne Valley. It accounts for 55% of the production. The vineyards on the right bank are 20% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir.

Grumier was one of the first domains in Champagne to be certified with “High Environmental Value” in 2014. Fabien works responsibly and sustainably, favouring grass cover in his vineyards and practising hand ploughing. This leads to deeper roots and when the roots are deep, the imprint of the terroir is stronger than that of the grape variety. The deeper the root, the more it extracts nutrients from the terroir, which guarantees the quality of the grapes.

Each village, each grape variety and each plot is vinified separately. The press was installed on 3 levels and designed so that the juices flow by gravity directly into the vats for settling.

Fabien likes to work with maturation in wooden barrels because for him it is something alive: the wine lives in the barrels, it breathes, expresses itself. Wood has a special feel and a very specific smell. It radiates fascinating sensations. “A lot happens in the veins of wood, just like in mine,” he says enthusiastically. Each material expresses a feeling for Fabien. All the senses are called upon: one smells, hears, observes, touches and tastes what wood or stainless steel evoke in the wines. Wood brings fullness and complexity, stainless steel freshness and tension.

The reserve wines are kept in barrels and vats at controlled and controlled temperatures to guarantee freshness and finesse over the years. 50% of the base wines are aged in wood for 6-18 months Fabian wants to give the champagnes fullness, but at the same time preserve the freshness of his wines. The rest is aged and matured in stainless steel. Up to a hundred different base wines are bottled each year, offering endless creative potential for the development of characterful, individual cuvées. In 2005, a perpetual reserve was also created.

The malolactic fermentation is partial, the champagnes are not fined or filtered, the dosage is rather in the low range.

The champagnes are aged for at least 2 years for base and 7 years for vintages. Some bottles are still shaken by hand, often by Guy, who still wants to do certain tasks himself. The long maturation gives complexity to Grumier Champagnes. They give Fabien’s cuvées great richness.

Grumier Champagnes are rich and complex wines that focus on aromatic expression.

Facts: R.M., Venteuil, Marne Valley, 9 Ha (55% Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay), 31 parcels, annual production: 80,000 bottles.