Etienne Calsac - Last Bits of Energetic Grower Champagne Inbound!

Champagne Etienne Calsac, Avize

At just 26 years old, a young Etienne purchased 3-hectares of vineyards from his grandparents who had previously leased them to larger houses. Etienne is a clever ideologist with a watchful eye on everything, though initially is quite shy. He's converted all of his holdings to organic farming, along with cover crops and plowing by horse to maximize nitrogen infusion and minimize soil compaction. In the cellar, he is continuing to work with various vessels and time spent on the lees. His wines are highly expressive of their terroir, but all possess great drive, texture and energy. Few people are aware of his conservationist efforts in Avize, with replantings being entirely massale selection of the region's near extinct varietals.

A fascinating grower whose wines you rarely see...

Les Revenants - "The Forgotten." Base vintage 2022. 50% Pinot Blanc, 43% Petit Meslier, 7% Arbane. ‘Les Revenants’ is a Champagne ‘a l’ancienne’—in 2010, Calsac planted .3ha of a family vineyard in the Côte de Sezanne to some of the forgotten Champagne varieties: Pinot Blanc for body, Petit Meslier for aromatics, and Arbanne for acidity. The vineyard, called ‘Les Fours,’ is in the town of Montgenost, south-facing, and sits on sandy topsoil with chalk beneath—the combination of sand and chalk allows for earlier ripening, key with a grape like Arbane. All the grapes are picked together on the same day; they are also pressed together all at once. Everything is included at press rather than just the ‘coeur de cuvée’ as in his other wines (this is another older, less common technique making a comeback with some younger winemakers). After pressing, the wine is settled in stainless, then racked off into one 600L barrel. Spontaneous ferment, kept on lees for seven months, then transferred unfiltered into bottle. Bottles are aged under cork rather crown cap, allowing more oxygen into the wine. 24 to 30 months on lees under cork; each bottle is hand-disgorged in January 2025. Bottled w/ no additional dosage but with 4g per liter naturally occurring sugar.

September ETA

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