The story behind Champagne Tellier–a label that is less than a decade old, or an infant on a French winemaking timeline–is a fascinating one, and we’ll get to it shortly. But first, it’s Friday, and this is a bubbly bonus so let’s get right to the wine itself! “Les Massales” is a classic blend of all three major Champagne grapes, with Chardonnay leading the way. The grapes are farmed biodynamically, the wine is made with minimal intervention and aged in neutral oak barrels, and then aged for another 40 months in the bottle before disgorgement. It has a tiny dosage so is essentially bone-dry, and the gentle, natural winemaking balances perfectly with the power and structure of the family’s terroir. To sum it all up, Champagne Tellier shows us the glorious future potential of this famous region, while simultaneously highlighting the beautiful traditions of the past. Of course it is made in tiny quantities, so do not sleep on these precious bottles!
The winery and cellars of Champagne Tellier are located in Moussy, in the sub-region of Coteaux Sud d’Epernay where the Montagne des Reims and Côte de Blancs meet, just a couple miles south of the city of Épernay. Much of the current property sits on the former Domaine des Conardins, which was the home of the lords of Les Cornadins, a high ranking noble family the took the title of “Comte de Champagne.” Their history traces back to 1222, and the last Comte (count) was Pierre-Louis de Failly, who was already producing sparkling wines in the second half of the 18th century. He died in 1792 and then there was a bit of trouble in the form of a revolution and Napoleonic wars. The grand Château was sold, then burnt down, and the entire estate went into disrepair for over a hundred years.
The story picks back up in 1936 when Raymond Renaudin purchased the estate and began renovating the winery and resuscitating and replanting the vineyards. Most of what you see today dates to this era, however there is still a portion of the original cellar beneath one of the vineyards, and it is now almost 1000 years old. The generations that followed Raymond largely sold the fruit to the big house labels until Brothers Quentin and Alexandre Tellier took the helm and began to slowly reduce the long term contracts so they could make wine under their own label. They now farm seven hectares of the original Conardins estate in Moussy and Pierry, and have added two more hectares of pure Chardonnay in the Côtes de Blancs crus of Cramant, Chavot, Äy, and Fontaine.
From the get go the Tellier brothers have sought to do everything in the vineyard and cellar as naturally as possible. The farm is practicing biodynamic (likely to be certified soon), and the winemaking is clean and precise, with old-school elements like barrel aging and natural yeast fermentation blending perfectly into the modern, hands off approach. Everything is about terroir expression, and the brothers refer to themselves as vigneron paysan, or peasant farmers. Because this is vinous, terroir transparent Champagne they recommend using a Burgundy stem, but a good all-purpose glass will work just fine too. Either way you’ll marvel at the shimmering, rose-gold hue that leads to aromas of plum skin, baked apples, marzipan, dried flowers, lemon zest, and a bit of fresh picked pear. The palate is invigorating and elegant, becoming softer and more textured as the wine interacts with oxygen. The finish is loaded with saline minerals and the prickly acidity leaves no trace of sugar. Tellier is truly showing us how transcendent the innovative future of Champagne, when rooted in its ancient past, can and hopefully will be.
