Champagne Geoffroy

Champagne Geoffroy is based in the city of Aÿ in the Champagne region in France, at Rue Jeanson 4. According to the estate, the family’s roots in viticulture go back to the 17th century in Cumières. Roger and Julienne Geoffroy produced their first bottles in the early 1950s. After studying viticulture, Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy joined the family business in the late 1980s. In 2008, Jean-Baptiste and Karine Geoffroy relocated the wine-making and commercial operations to Aÿ.

Approximately 14 hectares of vineyard area are spread across Damery, Hautvillers, Fleury-la-Rivière and, in particular, Cumières. Cumières is a Premier Cru site between the Marne and steep slopes facing south-east. Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay are planted; in a jointly planted plot, Arbanne and Petit Meslier are also grown. The grapes for the cuvées are hand-picked and sorted. The soils include, among others, clay- and limestone-containing, sandy as well as marl-based formations. The Empreinte plots lie on south-facing mid-slopes at around 160 metres above sea level with a gradient of 19%; their clay- and limestone-rich soil contains fragments of millstone or flint.

The must is transferred from the press to the respective containers by gravity, including enamelled tanks, wooden foudres, barriques and demi-muids. Malolactic fermentation is avoided in order to preserve freshness; the blends are determined after tasting. Depending on the vintage, the bottles are stored for three to eight years in chalk cellars. For Expression NV, fermentation is carried out with natural yeasts in enamelled steel tanks, after which the wine matures on the lees; it is neither filtered nor fined. Empreinte is vinified plot by plot, fermented with natural yeasts in wooden barrels and foudres, and stored for 72 months on the lees in the cellar before being bottled without filtration and fining.

Expression NV is the house’s first cuvée and consists of 40% Pinot Noir, 35% Meunier and 25% Chardonnay. The multi-vintage blend contains 50% reserve wine from a Solera-like stock kept going since the 1970s and is dosed as Extra Brut at 3.5 g/l. Terre is produced only in exceptional years and in small quantities; the documented vintage 2015 contains 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay and is Brut Nature with 0 g/l. Empreinte is a Blanc de Noirs from Cumières Premier Cru and consists of 100% Pinot Noir; the documented 2017 vintage was dosed at 3 g/l as Extra Brut. The documented Rosé de Saignée 2019 also consists of 100% Pinot Noir from Cumières Premier Cru. Whole berries are cold macerated for 78 hours at limited yields; the dosage is 6 g/l, also Extra Brut.