2018 Heraclite - Pinot Meunier - Brut Nature

Timothée Stroebel’s family comes from Alsace, but settled in Champagne after World War II, specifically in the Grand Cru village of Villers-Allerand in Montagne de Reims. After studying oenology and working in Burgundy, it was Timothée’s dream to make his own champagne from the vineyards that his grandfather planted in the 1960s. Little by little he began to take over plots from different family members and was in 2005 able to release his first vintage.

The vines are split between 55% Pinot Meunier, 35% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, and from the very beginning Timothée has insisted on cultivating organically (even though the wines are not certified) to revitalize both the soil and the root system. The composition varies between deep clay and light sandy soil, and the grapes are vinified separately to express these differences.

Timothée knows what he is doing, but still relies on his gut feeling in the cellar and has no intention of making the same wine twice as it is most often the goal in Champagne. He cherishes the individual character of the grapes and works with as little interference as possible with no additives except a very small amount of sulphur if required at all. The fermentation takes place naturally and no dosage or filtration is used. Timothée Stroebel is a talented, uncompromising and passionate winemaker, who creates exceptional and complex champagnes.