History

• The Pouillon family has been growing vines for more than a century. Fabrice’s great-grandparents were farmers.
• 1947: Roger Pouillon, his grandfather, becomes the first in the family to make and bottle his own wine, in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.
• 1998-1999: Fabrice Pouillon, the third generation, joins the house. He focuses on soil work, terroir and winemaking. In 2024 he celebrated his 26th harvest.
• 2003: the gradual conversion to organic and biodynamic farming begins.
• 2019: launch of the "Méthode Fabrice Pouillon", now used for all the wines. The same year, the Grande Vallée cuvée replaces the Brut Réserve.

The estate in figures

• About 8 ha, split into 45 plots across 7 villages (Gault&Millau). The heart of the estate is in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.
• About half Pinot Noir, a third Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier.
• The villages: Aÿ (Grand Cru), Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (1er Cru), Mutigny, Avenay-Val-d’Or, Tauxières-Mutry, Épernay and Festigny, between the Vallée de la Marne and the Montagne de Reims.

The cuvées

• Grande Vallée Extra Brut: the house blend, from five villages.
• Solera 1er Cru Extra Brut: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Mareuil, drawn from a perpetual reserve started in 1997.
• Rosé de Macération 1er Cru Extra Brut.
• Single-vineyard wines: Les Valnons (Aÿ Grand Cru), Les Blanchiens (Brut Nature), Les Châtaigniers, Les Terres Froides, Le Montgruguet, Chemin du Bois.

In the vineyard

• The vineyards are certified organic and farmed according to biodynamic principles.
• The estate uses its own compost, cover crops and herbal teas, and ploughs every other row. No synthetic products are used.
• All grapes are harvested by hand.

In the cellar

• Grapes are pressed in an old vertical wooden press.
• The estate ferments and ages its wines in enamel tanks, stainless steel and old barrels, with native yeasts. All the wines go through malolactic fermentation.
• Reserve wines age in old 700 L barrels and foudres.
• With the Méthode Fabrice Pouillon, no sugar is added at any stage. Part of the unfermented grape must is kept for the second fermentation and for the dosage, instead of the usual cane sugar.

Philosophy

• Fabrice Pouillon describes his approach as "measured experimentation, without dogma or trends". He wants to respect Champagne tradition while continuing to innovate.
• He is one of the most closely followed growers in the Vallée de la Marne, making low-dosage, precise Champagnes with a strong sense of place.