Bernard Lonclas
The estate was founded in 1976 by Bernard Lonclas. Today, with the arrival of his daughter Aurélie at his side, the estate is located in the charming village of Bassuet, with a chalky terroir that the chardonnay grape particularly favors. The estate offers a wide range of champagnes made from 85% chardonnay, 15% pinot meunier and 5% pinot noir. Vinification takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Personalized cellar tours and theme evenings are offered. All the wines are well vinified, and we regularly fall in love with the Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, which offers a good balance between classicism and gourmandise.
Bernard Robert
The history of the estate is that of a family that has been bringing its projects to fruition for three generations. Founded in 1945 by Marie-Madeleine Dosne and Bernard Robert, the estate covers some 30 hectares, spread over 7 communes in the southern Champagne region of the Aube department, on the Côte des Bar, where pinot noir is king. Chardonnay is used to produce cuvées blanc de blancs, but the estate also produces pinot meunier and pinot blanc. No fewer than five family members work together in the village of Voigny on this large estate. The range is centered around eight cuvées offering outstanding value for money. The estate is open to wine-lovers on weekdays, and cellar tours are available by appointment.
Bernard Tornay
The estate,which covers 20 ha and is located in Bouzy, in the heart of the vineyard classified Grand Cru, has been sticking to the same formula for several years : a limited production, a supply that favours wines whose purity varies between 95 and 100% and constitute the coeur de cuvées, together with an absolute respect of the qualitative principles.
Besserat de Bellefon
Besserat de Bellefon was born in 1843 on the banks of the Aÿ river, and is now based in Épernay. For almost two centuries, the company has been making elegant wines for the exclusive gastronomic, hotel, wine and delicatessen sectors of the French capital. BB, two letters that sum up French refinement, a certain audacity and the independence of an assertive style. Besserat de Bellefon is also the promise of a champagne whose bubbles are 30% finer than those of a traditional champagne. Nathalie Doucet is president of the company.
Beurton & Fils
Established in 1893 in Cuchery, on the right bank of the Vallée de la Marne, the house is managed today by Cathy and Benjamin Beurton. The 13 hectares of vines are planted on the clay-limestone soils of Cuchery and Baslieux-sous-Châtillon giving the champagnes minerality and freshness.
Billecart-Salmon
To discover the origins of Billecart-Salmon champagnes, we have to go back to 1818, when husband and wife Nicolas François Billecart and Élisabeth Salmon founded their company. Alongside them, Louis Salmon, Élisabeth's brother and a passionate oenologist, has been involved in winemaking since the estate was founded. Since then, seven generations have succeeded one another in the village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, near Épernay, with Mathieu Roland-Billecart taking over the reins in 2019. Special mention for the blanc de noirs from the tiny Clos Saint-Hilaire (94 a), planted exclusively with pinot noir vines since 1964. These are now pampered by biodynamic viticulture and are once again open to the public after renovation work.
Binon Coquard
This small 6.5-hectare estate on the Côte des Bar was founded in 2000 by Maxime Binon. He made his first wine at the age of 24, in 2003. His sister Cyrielle joined him in 2012. On Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils, the viticulture is integrated (Terra Vitis and HVE labels), with no chemical weeding. Pinot noir dominates, accounting for 70%. A solera cuvée has been produced since 2004 from successive harvests of pinot noir.
Blaise-Lourdez et Fils
A family-run business that cultivates its 8 hectares of vines in Damery, in the Marne Valley. The estate pays particular attention to the freshness of its wines, and encourages optimal ripeness of the grapes at harvest time. A chambre d'hôte is available for a stopover in the vineyard.
Bochet-Lemoine
Champagne Bochet-Lemoine was founded in 1992 by the fusion of two estates: Champagne Lemoine Fils, founded in 1945, and Champagne Bochet-Massart created in 1957. Valérie Lemoine and Jacky Bochet currently perpetrate the family tradition by picking their grapes and vinifying their cuvées within the estate. Their vineyard covers 8,5 hectares spreading over Cormoyeux and Faverolles-et-Coëmy, situated between Épernay and Reims. The average age of the vines are approximately 35 years while the eldest are almost 50. The length of the ageing in bottle has been increased by six months before the disgorgement.
Boizel
Une fois passée la grille d’entrée du 46 de l’avenue de Champagne à Épernay, le bâtiment principal se dresse. Il abrite une grande partie des trésors de la maison Boizel, installée là depuis 1834. Réparti sur 7 hectares, le vignoble est situé au cœur des meilleurs crus historiques de la Champagne, dont la côte des Blancs et Avize, d’où est originaire la famille. Florent et son frère Lionel travaillent main dans la main avec leurs partenaires vignerons. La maison accueille les épicuriens du monde entier au sein de son magnifique écrin récemment rénové.
Bolieu
Third-generation winegrowers Laurence and Charles Baffard, who took over the family domaine in 1998, cultivate their 6.5 ha of vines on the Vitryat hillsides with fervor and sincerity. This confidential terroir, well known to the big houses, is a veritable "chalk soil" with clay incrustations, ideal for the expression of well-aged Chardonnay. The vines are spread over fifteen villages near Vitry-le-François. The wines are characterized by delicate exotic notes, which are also found in the domaine's cuvées. The estate is a member of the Passion chardonnay winegrowers' association, which groups together a dozen winegrowers.
Bollinger
Bollinger was founded in 1829 in the village of Aÿ. Six generations have patiently built up an impressive heritage that remains resolutely independent. The Bollinger style is inimitable and recognized as such by leading champagne connoisseurs. It rests on a solid foundation: 60% of the total supply comes from the estate's own vineyards, Pinot Noir is the majority grape variety, reserve wines are kept in magnums, barrel fermentation is used for vintage wines and part of the "Special Cuvée", and aging on lees is two to three times longer than the appellation rules. Denis Bunner is the current cellar master.
Bonnaire
On the Côte des Blancs, kingdom of Chardonnay, with vines acquired in Fossoy and Bergères-lès-Vertus, the family estate, founded in 1932, located in Cramant, is today run by the fourth generation with Jean-Étienne and Jean-Emmanuel Bonnaire. Their 22 ha of vines, mainly planted with Chardonnay, produce grapes for ageing in vats and old barrels (cuvées "Ver Sacrum" and "Variance", aged under cork for over six years). All dosage levels have been reduced. All the estate's Chardonnays have been certified organic since the 2023 harvest.
Bonnet-Gilmert
Based in Oger, in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, the family has been making champagnes for five generations, from 7 hectares of Chardonnay classified as Grand Cru. Émile Gilmert began selling a few bottles of his own in 1910, and was succeeded by his son Marcel in 1920. In the 1950s, the union of Colette Gilmert and Robert Bonnet (originally from Mesnil-sur-Oger) gave its name to the current brand. Their son Denis and now granddaughters Aude and Carla run the estate. Most of the wines are vinified in barrel, and the bottles are stored in the cellar for a minimum of three years - sometimes five, or even ten for certain cuvées. A highly recommendable estate.
Bonnet-Ponson
The estate, recently certified organic, produces its champagnes from the family's 10.5 ha vineyard on the Montagne de Reims, divided into 50 parcels in the villages of Chamery, Vrigny, Coulommes-la-Montagne and Verzenay. After graduating in oenology in 2006, Cyril Bonnet joined his father in 2013, initiating the estate's conversion to organic farming and the development of alternative methods in the vineyard based on phytotherapy. In the winery, part of the vinification process is carried out in wood, without the addition of sulfites. The wines are unfiltered and disgorged after a fairly long bottle ageing period, from four to twelve years.
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