Champagne Marguet

The Marguet family's connection to Champagne stretches back to the 1850s, with the estate formally established in 1870. Émile Marguet became a local pioneer in 1883 when he grafted American rootstock onto estate vines, a practice that provoked controversy but proved prescient as phylloxera swept through European vineyards. Subsequent generations built the domaine into a respected house, with Benoît's parents formalizing the Domaine Marguet-Bonnerave in the 1970s. His father also created the parallel Charles Marguet and Marguet Père et Fils labels, laying the groundwork for today's consolidated estate identity.

• Estate founded 1870; family presence in Champagne documented to the 1850s
• Émile Marguet grafted American rootstock in 1883, ahead of the phylloxera crisis
• Domaine Marguet-Bonnerave established by Benoît's parents in the 1970s
• Father created Charles Marguet and Marguet Père et Fils as separate commercial labels

Benoît Marguet-Bonnerave began making wine under both family labels in 1999 before taking full control of Marguet Père et Fils in 2005. His arrival signaled a decisive shift toward terroir-driven, low-intervention winemaking that distinguished the house from conventional Champagne production. He engaged Hervé Jestin, formerly chef de cave at Duval-Leroy, as a consulting oenologist in 2006, and the two have collaborated on the occasional Sapience prestige cuvée, released as a 50/50 split between them. The house received the Best Luxury Champagne Brand in France 2024 award from Luxury Lifestyle Awards, reflecting how far the estate has risen in international reputation under his leadership.

• Benoît took full winemaking control in 2005 as the fifth generation
• Hervé Jestin (ex-Duval-Leroy) joined as consultant in 2006 and co-created the Sapience cuvée
• Sapience is released as a 50/50 split between Marguet and Jestin
• Named Best Luxury Champagne Brand in France 2024 by Luxury Lifestyle Awards

Marguet farms 10 hectares spread across two of Champagne's most celebrated Grand Cru villages: Ambonnay and Bouzy, both on the Montagne de Reims. The heart of the estate lies in Ambonnay, where 7.30 hectares are divided among six individual parcels including Les Saints Remys, Les Beurys, Les Crayères, La Grande Ruelle, Les Bermonts, and Le Parc. An additional 0.70 hectares in Bouzy are split between Les Loges and Les Hannepes. The estate currently bottles four of these plots as single lieu-dit designations, all from Ambonnay, allowing direct comparison of how each parcel expresses Pinot Noir or Chardonnay on its own terms.

• 7.30 ha in Ambonnay Grand Cru across six named parcels; 0.70 ha in Bouzy Grand Cru across two parcels
• Four parcels currently bottled as single lieu-dit wines: all located in Ambonnay
• Average vine age approximately 40 to 42 years across the estate
• Approximately 15% of production uses purchased fruit, sourced exclusively from certified organic or biodynamic growers

Benoît converted the estate to biodynamic viticulture in 2009 and introduced horse plowing the following year, a practice that reduces soil compaction and keeps the vineyard ecosystem intact. The estate achieved Demeter biodynamic certification in 2013 and holds ECOCERT organic certification alongside it. In the cellar, all fermentations proceed with native yeasts in oak barrels, and extended lees aging adds complexity before disgorgement. Sulfur additions average just 25 ppm across the range and many cuvées are bottled with zero dosage, a philosophy underpinned by phytotherapy, aromatherapy, and strict adherence to the lunar calendar for all cellar operations.

• Biodynamic conversion began 2009; horse plowing introduced 2010; Demeter certified 2013
• All wines fermented with native yeasts in oak barrels with extended lees contact
• Average SO2 addition of 25 ppm; numerous cuvées receive zero dosage
• Cellar work scheduled by lunar calendar; estate uses biodynamic preparations, phytotherapy, and aromatherapy

Champagne Marguet represents the most rigorous end of the grower-Champagne movement, combining the full toolkit of biodynamic farming with a genuine commitment to site-specific expression from two of the Montagne de Reims's most important Grand Cru villages. Where most Champagne houses blend across appellations and vintages to maintain a consistent house style, Marguet bottles individual parcels as lieu-dit designations, making the wines invaluable reference points for understanding how Ambonnay's chalk-and-clay soils shape Pinot Noir and Chardonnay differently from plot to plot. The collaboration with Hervé Jestin adds a layer of technical credibility, while the near-zero sulfur philosophy and horse-plowed vines signal a producer willing to take real viticultural risk in pursuit of purity. For students of wine, the estate illustrates how biodynamic certification, terroir specificity, and minimal intervention can coexist at Grand Cru level.

• One of few Champagne houses holding both ECOCERT organic and Demeter biodynamic certifications simultaneously
• Single lieu-dit bottlings from Ambonnay offer a rare parcel-by-parcel study of Grand Cru terroir
• Collaboration with former Duval-Leroy chef de cave Hervé Jestin bridges artisan and technical winemaking philosophies
• Zero-dosage brut nature philosophy applied at Grand Cru level distinguishes the estate from dosage-reliant peers