Perhaps no other wine region in the world has undergone a transformation as dramatic as the one in Champagne. Mechanization, chemical treatments, and mass production were once the norm here, but these days it’s conscientious, small-scale grower-producers like Benoît Marguet that everyone is talking about.
Mind you, it’s not just Marguet’s meticulous organic and biodynamic practices I appreciate—it’s the magnificently pure, transparently mineral product he puts on the table. When we first started offering Marguet’s Champagnes on SommSelect, we described him as a superstar in the making, but it’s safe to say at this point that he has arrived. Big-name Champagne experts like author Peter Liem have lavished praise on the wines, and, having met Benoît myself and been mesmerized by everything he makes, I only have one question: How have these painstakingly crafted, tiny-production wines not skyrocketed in price? Today’s wine, called “Shaman,” draws a clear line right to some of the greatest Grand Cru vineyard sites in the villages of Ambonnay and Bouzy—among them the Montagne de Reims jewel “Les Crayères.” It is bottled without a
dosage, because frankly, there’s no need: Marguet’s careful farming produced a wine with that magical combination of generosity and intense, mineral-etched focus. What a wine, and what an enduring value—we can offer up to six bottles per customer today, but I fear that won’t be enough!
Born and raised in Champagne, Marguet cut his teeth after college working as a lab technician at the service of numerous top Champagne houses. After, he was an enologist at Mumm before traveling to Washington State, where he served as assistant winemaker under legendary winemaker Paul Hobbs. Wishing to strengthen his understanding of global wine tradition and restaurant service—and needing to fulfill his obligation to the French military—Benoît oversaw an enormous cellar while serving as a sommelier in the main officers’ dining hall in Paris. Having finally achieved a sufficiently in-depth and nuanced understanding of wine, Benoit returned home to his family’s small 7-hectare Champagne property.
Back home in the village of Ambonnay, Benoît immediately set to work transforming his family’s property. In 2004, he began transitioning to biodynamic farming. I cannot stress enough how challenging an undertaking this is in Champagne: The famously cold and wet weather, combined with a regional tendency toward monoculture, creates an environment in which only the most focused and skilled vigneron can succeed with organic and biodynamic viticulture. But Benoît proved up to the challenge. By 2009, he had completely transitioned three hectares to biodynamics, and by 2011 his entire property was Certified Organic. What’s most impressive is the uncompromising totality with which he approaches organic farming and biodynamics—seemingly everything is done the hard way. He uses horses in the place of tractors and he experiments relentlessly to find natural substitutes for sulfur in his vineyards and wine. Before harvesting a single cluster, he is known to walk every row and individually “thank” each vine for its contribution to the vintage. After visiting Marguet, it’s clear that this unique combination of outside-the-box thinking, humility, and determination contributes to the stunning quality of the wines.
Marguet conducts blending outside, in the open air, so he can taste his wines in the same environment as his vines. He also uses opaque, black glassware in the blending process to ensure his decisions are guided solely by aroma and texture, not appearance. His barrel room reveals a vast arsenal of ancient wooden vessels of all sizes. There are large fermenters, small Burgundy barrels, and even smaller, more obscure barrels like those used in Sauternes. There is no fancy machinery and no chemicals. Additionally, enormous stones and crystals are placed throughout the cellar. These illuminate the space and Benoît believes they also have a positive impact on the energy of his cellar and wines. While there is no conventional scientific evidence to explain this, I will say that there is something altogether unique and expressive about these wines. They have a vividness and detail that is truly distinct.
“Shaman 15” is a product of superior farming practices. Benoît is a viticulturist first and a gifted winemaker second. This wine is composed from some of the most meticulously farmed Pinot Noir (67%) and Chardonnay (33%) in all of Champagne. Specifically, fruit comes the renowned lieu dits “Les Crayères” and “Les Bermonts” in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, and “Les Loges” and “Les Hannepés” in the Grand Cru village of Bouzy. This bottling is predominantly from the 2015 vintage (as hinted at on the label) but there is a significant amount of reserve wine from previous years, keeping it in the ‘non-vintage’ category. In the glass, the wine is a deep straw-gold in color with a slightly coppery cast. Rich aromas of honey crisp apple, lemon blossom, quince and pear precede subtler notes of toasted brioche, biscotti and a whiff of smoke and crushed rock dust. There is a perfect balance between vivacious youth and the depth and richness of older vintages in the base wine. Still, this wine continually draws me back to its structure, power and generous fruit—it’s an extremely high-class bottle of Champagne down to the last detail. Serve at 50 degrees in large Bordeaux stems to highlight its sublime ‘vinosity’ and don’t be hesitant to serve it with main-course dishes. Attached is a suitably outside-the-box recipe suggestion for a truly special wine. Cheers!
