La philosophie du Champagne Geoffroy

OUR STORY

The roots of the Geoffroy family date back to the 17th century. Cumières, a village in the heart of the Vallée de la Marne is where this line of winemakers is rooted. The few acres of vineyards that our ancestors cultivated and handed down from generation to generation provide the link to our Champagnes.

At the beginning of the 1950s Roger Geoffroy and his wife Julienne decided to take the plunge into winemaking and produced their first bottles: the Roger Geoffroy brand was born. René Geoffroy, their son, who loved the land, soon succeeded his father, who died suddenly and too young. An owner-grower to his soul, he acquired new vines, and with the help of his wife Bernadette, they developed and promoted their brand.

At the end of the 1980s, Jean-Baptiste joined the family estate. After completing his education at viticultural school, he perfected his craft working side by side with his father and his father’s cousin Pierrot. In 2008, Jean-Baptiste and his wife Karine decided to relocate both the winemaking and commercial operations of Champagne Geoffroy business to Ay, to a property built in the late 19thcentury.

Continuing the long family tradition, the next chapter in the family’s work will be written by their five daughters, Margaux, Sacha, Rosalie, Colombine and Azalée, the successors of the third generation. This new generation of winemakers is growing up inspired by new prospects, new ideas and precious experience.

OUR TERROIR

The essence of terroir is the convergence between the substrate (geological origin, soil, sub-soil), topography (slopes, altitude, orientation) and climate. The winegrowing landscape of Champagne is the fruit of a veritable artistic creation between the winegrower and nature over the centuries. It is a living repository of a collective heritage.

The vineyard comprises 14 hectares extending over the slopes of Damery, Hautvillers, Fleury-la-Rivière and especially Cumières.
Cumières is a small village classified as ‘premier cru’, nestling between the river Marne and rugged slopes exposed to the southeast.

The Geoffroy vineyard consists of a mosaic of 35 plots of this land, where the 3 champagne grape varieties (24% Chardonnay, 34% Pinot Meunier and 42% Pinot Noir) are able to fully express themselves, benefitting from its microclimate.

The soil provides essential support to the vineyard, preserving the balance of each plot. Our search for harmony with nature is guided by our philosophy: respect for life, the environment and for future generations who will live off this land.

Champagne Geoffroy plots

OUR VINEYARD

Exceptional wines are made from exceptional grapes and so our goal is to allow each vine to flourish to preserve its unique flavours and truly reflect the Terroir.
Our priority is to preserve and enhance the life of the soil. This marks out the rhythm of our work, day in day out. In order to keep our interventions to a minimum we plough, to aerate the soil and avoid using herbicides, let multiple grasses varieties grow spontaneously, use organic manure and simply observe the vines.
Only grapes from these vines infuse the soul of the Terroir into the heart of the wine.

OUR CELLAR

In the cellar, we seek to maintain the same spirit of respect, patience, attention to detail and purity. We take samples before the harvest, so that we can start picking when the grapes are perfectly ripe and plan the best order in which to harvest the different plots.
As they are picked the sorted grapes are transported to Ay to be crushed on our two traditional Coquard presses.

This “old style” pressing allows us to draw the finest juices as precisely as possible, and to organize our winemaking by plot of origin. In this way we value the diversity of expression of each vine.

In our new winery in Ay we make use of gravity alone to transfer the juice from the press to the winemaking tanks. The juice flows slowly, weightlessly, into enamelled vats, tuns, barrels and demi-muid casks, each selected according to the potential of each grape.

Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy avoids malolactic fermentation in order to maintain his champagne’s original and authentic freshness, as he strives to preserve as far as possible what nature has provided.

Blends are determined by tasting alone and according to the Geoffroy’s unique and personal taste. Once filled the bottles are stored in deep chalk cellars for between 3 and 8 years depending on the vintages. The final flourish that takes place in the cellar is the “dosage”, which demands great care and integrity to enhance the palatability of the champagne.

OUR STORY

OUR TERROIR

OUR VINEYARD

OUR CELLAR

The site

Our Champagnes

Cumières rouge & Ratafia

Shop

Contact