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The Terroir

Chapter .03

Our vineyard consists of over 80 parcels exclusively dedicated to Chardonnay, spread across four villages in the Côte des Blancs: Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

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Parcel map hand-drawn by Olivier Bonville

The Côte des Blancs

This East/Southeast-facing cuesta constitutes a distinct geological formation, with exposed Campanian chalk. However, a closer examination of its irregularities uncovers a variety of orientations, chalk depths, and microclimatic conditions.

The family’s winemaking heritage must be added to this, as well as the champagne region's traditions. Decisions regarding rootstocks and clones were guided by the insights of previous generations.

Together, these elements—soil, climate, and viticultural choices—now work in harmony, expressed in our vineyards, tasted in our grapes, and savored in our wines, showcasing the distinctive terroirs of the Côte des Blancs.

"Thus, understanding our parcels, our terroirs, and our wines must encompass all geological, viticultural, and human factors."

Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel

CRAMANT

2ha 26ca

Our parcels are located exclusively on plots bordering Avize-Cramant and are registered in Cramant. They are not situated in the heart of Cramant’s terroir, where the topography is more rugged. The soils are chalky, but a few decimeters of valley-bottom colluvium (clay, sand, silt) may overlay the chalk.

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La Noue de Génie, le Chemin de Chalons, Les Bergeries au Couchant are our most significant parcels in Cramant. Located mid-slope and at the foot of the hill, these parcels impart the wines with all the fruity and varietal character of Chardonnay (citrus, acacia blossom), along with more rounded and generous aromas.

AVIZE

6ha 32ca

Avize is where the family vineyard holds the largest surface area. The Bonville parcels are well distributed throughout the entire Avize cadaster.

Mid-slope parcels: Les Champs Armés, Les Chênes, Le Petit Pont, Les Maladries du Nord, Les Pierre Vaudon, Les Avats, and Les Chantraines. These lieux-dits are quintessential to Avize. Here, the chalk lies relatively close to the surface. The wines from these parcels exhibit an intense fruity character, with floral and citrus notes, typical of Avize Chardonnay. They also display salinity, freshness, and clarity. Southern Avize parcels (between Avize and Oger: Les Pierre Vaudon, La Noue du Porchet, Les Chapelles) tend to ripen more fully compared to their counterparts on the opposite side of the village (Les Avats, Les Chênes).

"The balance of our wines from Avize is also born from these small yet tangible differences in micro-terroirs."

Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel

Avize features alternating ridges and depressions across the mid-slope, running perpendicular to the incline. On the ridges, the chalk lies close to the surface.

In the depressions, chalk is overlaid with colluvium, which lends greater generosity to the wines. On the heights of Avize, we primarily cultivate parcels in the following lieux-dits: L’Argentière, Les Roches, and Les Barmonts. These plots often require an additional 5 to 8 days to reach harvest maturity. The sun sets over these parcels a few hours earlier than it does for vines lower on the slope or in the plains. This helps preserve acidity, which proves particularly valuable in warm years.

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