Champagne, France
Hervé Jestin
The glitzy world of Champagne is often more about marketing and branding, rather than the wine itself. So when you come across a producer that’s more about the wine than the waffle, you take note.
And when it comes to organic Champagne, there’s one winemaker that commands respect and authority above all others - Hervé Jestin.
Despite being one of the pioneers of organic Champagne since the 60s, and biodynamic Champagne since the 90s, Leclerc Briant had a tough time through the noughties and ended up being sold in 2012 - to an American couple from Boston, Mark Nunnelly & Denise Dupré, and two locals, Frédéric Zeimett and Hervé Jestin.
Since then the estate has gone from strength to strength with the new team, innovative thinking and Hervé at the winemaking helm.
Hervé has a relentless focus on quality - promoting the terroir that the grapes are grown on, and using gentle winemaking practices to end up with crisp, clean and vibrant wines.
Not only are they respectful to the environment by farming organically, but they extend this sustainability to all other areas of the business - the bottles are made with recycled glass, the labels are made of cotton instead of paper, and the foil is made from recycled tin and aluminum.
Leclerc Briant is a small producer by Champagne standards, so if you’re looking for an authentic fizz that reflects the land that it’s from, let their wines take pride of place at your next celebration.