What does the future of Champagne look like? We think it looks a lot like what Cédric Moussé is doing at his small but excellent family domaine in the Vallée de la Marne. To be clear, this is not a new operation; the Moussé clan has been farming grapes in this region since 1750, and they’ve been bottling under their own label since 1923 (happy 100th birthday!). But what Cédric has done over the past decade plus is pure, forward-thinking brilliance. This includes organic farming, of course, but also composting, cover crops, biodiversity, solar panels on the winery, geothermal energy, nfc chips embedded in the labels, using recycled paper on the capsule and much more. It’s inspiring—but wait, you say, how is the wine? In a word, amazing. This is a classic, elegant, full-of-finesse Blanc de Noirs that shines a beautiful platinum rose in the glass. Have you got some parties coming up? This is a perfect companion bottle: Crowd pleasingly delicious and also full of fun conversation starters. So go ahead, grab a few and taste the future!

The Moussé family has been growing grapes for 12 generations, and producing their own wine since 1923. The estate has always been centered in Cuisles, a village in a small valley that runs perpendicular to the primary Vallée de la Marne. Their vineyards are planted mostly on a distinct, and unusual, geology of green clay layered over the classic Champagne chalk as well as schist. The Moussé clan has long been known as innovators. Eugène Moussé was one of the first grower-producers in the region, and he was also one of the first to take his bottles by car to Paris in 1926, selling the bulk of his production to an American catering company. Fast-forward to 2009 and Eugène’s grandson, Jean-Marc, and great-grandson, Cédric, completed construction of a brand new, eco-designed production cellar. Since then Cédric has devoted his time to making Moussé one of the most forward thinking, top tier Grower Champagne estates in the region.

Not surprisingly the ecology focused philosophy at Moussé starts in the vineyard. Cédric eschews chemicals of any kind and practices organic farming, but he doesn’t stop there! They produce their own compost, use recycled water to moisten it, have chickens and sheep “eco-grazing” in between the rows, employ geothermal heating in the cellar, use solar panels to power the winery and heat the water, and produce their own, naturally derived sulfur. All of this is important on a global scale of course, but it also means that everything the Moussé team does is laser focused on producing the cleanest, most pristine fruit possible, which leads to exceptional Champagne. 

Like almost all of the Moussé cuvées, “l’Equisse” is based primarily on Pinot Meunier. Long considered the third wheel of Champagne grapes, Meunier is now entering the spotlight and Famille Moussé is all in: Their website home page begins with “Deeply Meunier.” Compared to its cousins Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, Meunier buds later and ripens earlier, leading to a shorter overall growing season. Long viewed as a slightly underwhelming workhorse with under-ripe notes, this shorter growing season is perfectly adapted to the current reality of hotter, dry summers, and extreme weather. Meunier is better at avoiding early season frost and late season storms, and of course good farming and warm temperatures mean ripeness is no longer a problem at all!

Fermented with indigenous yeast and raised entirely in steel tanks, the “l’Equisse” is also only given small amounts of the natural, house made SO2 before bottling. Poured into an all-purpose glass (the inside of their 100% recyclable paper capsule cleverly implores you not to use a flute) it will shimmer a pale platinum with hints of rose. The palette is super racy, bright, and expressive with plenty of crunchy red berries, tart plums, salted watermelon, lemon zest, blood orange, and a hint of white pepper. While we almost always recommend food to bring out the best in Champagne, this is a wine that can easily be enjoyed as an apéritif. That said, a plate of raw oysters or a thoughtfully constructed smoked salmon salad would make a fine start to a fall evening!