Jeaunaux-Robin
Champagne Jeaunaux-Robin in Talus-Saint-Prix farms five hectares on the southern edge of the Côte des Blancs, in the Petit Morin valley. Cyril Jeaunaux and Clémence Robin run the estate in its third generation; it was founded in the 1960s. On the south-facing slopes above the Petit Morin, Pinot Meunier accounts for more than 50 percent of plantings, since this variety withstands the valley's late frosts. The soils contain silex, flint once quarried here to make millstones, which gave cuvées like the Éclats de Meulière their name. Pressing takes place on the traditional Coquard press, fermentation starts spontaneously, and the wines are aged in stainless steel, enamel-lined vats and used Burgundy barrels.
Talus-Saint-Prix in the Petit Morin valley
The village of Talus-Saint-Prix lies between the Côte des Blancs and the Côte de Sézanne, above the Petit Morin, a tributary of the Marne. The soil holds limestone, clay, white marl and an unusually high proportion of silex; this flint was once quarried here to cut millstones, known in French as meulière. The plots lie on south-facing slopes, and spring nights regularly bring frost. Meunier copes well with this and develops its own distinctive spice on this terroir; Pinot Noir and Chardonnay round out the vineyard.
A cellar carved into the chalk
In 1986, Michel and Marie-Claude, Cyril Jeaunaux's parents, spent months hand-digging a cellar into the chalk bedrock. The cave holds a constant 12 degrees, and the wines rest there for two to seven years before disgorgement. In 1999, Cyril Jeaunaux and Clémence Robin took over the estate and have since farmed organically and in part biodynamically, advised since 2013 by Jacques Mell. Of the couple's three sons, the youngest, Anselme, intends to carry the estate forward one day. Cyril Jeaunaux belongs to Terres et Vins de Champagne, an association of winegrowers from Champagne.
Vineyard sites and vine age
For the Éclats de Meulière, Cyril Jeaunaux harvests in the Les Coteaux du Petit Morin terroir, chalky and clay-rich, with flint woven through it; the vines are around 45 years old. The cuvée blends 60 percent Meunier, 30 percent Pinot Noir and 10 percent Chardonnay, a quarter aged in large oak casks, three-quarters in stainless steel. From the Le Grand Morceaux vineyard, with vines aged 61 years, comes the Instinct Meunier, pure Meunier, aged ten months in multiply-used Burgundian pièces, without malolactic fermentation and without dosage. The Les Marnes Blanches shows the Chardonnay of these slopes, with chalky minerality and taut acidity.
Pressing, fermentation, aging
The grapes are hand-picked and brought to the Coquard press, fermentation starts spontaneously, without added yeasts, in stainless steel, enamel-lined concrete or used oak barrels. Cyril Jeaunaux partly forgoes malolactic fermentation, which preserves the wines' acidity. The barrels are at least ten years old, their oak leaving no mark on the Champagnes. In the glass, the chalky trace of the flint lingers, the very thing the cuvée names point to.