Champagne R. Pouillon & Fils

Roger Pouillon created the Domaine when he settled at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in 1947. To mark the event he planted a willow tree on the banks of the canal just behind the house, and the tree and its roots became the estate's emblem, which all of its Champagnes carry. The emblem is both a tribute to the family heritage and a symbol of the philosophy that guides the Domaine. In the estate's words, "things were set up three generations ago", with a father and grandfather passing on an attachment to the land. The Domaine has since grown considerably and developed on an international level. It is at 17 rue d'Aÿ in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and visits are by appointment.

• Founded 1947 by Roger Pouillon at Mareuil-sur-Aÿ
• A willow planted to mark the founding is the estate's emblem, carried on all its Champagnes
• Visits by appointment at 17 rue d'Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ

The estate's method of second fermentation carries the name of Fabrice Pouillon. Of the Chemin du Bois parcel, the estate writes: "It gave me the idea for my « Méthode Fabrice Pouillon » used to make all my wines." By 2022 harvest at the estate was increasingly beginning earlier, and in a harvest report Decanter published on 26 August 2022, Fabrice Pouillon said: "In the years to come, we will encounter more and more early vintages to which we will have to adapt." For 2022 the team would likely not start picking until 6 September, despite being able to harvest from 26 August, in pursuit of optimal phenolic and aromatic maturity. The estate takes part in Le Printemps des Champagnes, organized in collaboration with the association Terres & Vins de Champagne, and appears at Champagne Experience in Italy and the Champagne festival in New York.

• Fabrice Pouillon spoke for the estate on the 2022 harvest (August 2022)
• 2022 harvest: picking expected from 6 September, although permitted from 26 August
• Events include Le Printemps des Champagnes with Terres & Vins de Champagne, Champagne Experience in Italy and the Champagne festival in New York

The estate's vines sit on both sides of the Marne Valley, where the slopes of Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, chiefly facing south and east, overlook the river's right bank. The holdings also include a vineyard in the southern part of the Mountain of Reims, whose northern orientation has become an asset when it comes to the climate. The wines come from seven villages (Avenay, Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Epernay, Festigny, Mutigny and Tauxières) and from the lieux-dits Carrière d'Athis, Chemin du Bois, Les Blanchiens, Les Chataigniers, Les Fourches, Les Valnons and Sur le Mont. Pinot Noir is planted in chalk and clay in places such as Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Pinot Meunier on clay terroirs such as Festigny, and Chardonnay in Aÿ (Les Valnons) and Tauxières (Les Fourches).

• 7 hectares reorganized into 40 identified parcels, some replanted with cuttings from exceptional old vines
• Les Valnons in Aÿ is classified Grand Cru
• Les Blanchiens and Chemin du Bois in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Les Terres Froides in Tauxières are classified Premier Cru
• Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay

The estate has adopted organic vine-growing measures, including horse-drawn ploughing, manure composts, respect for the vine's natural cycle and limited yields, and it maintains a vast array of vegetation in its plots as part of regenerative agriculture. Its winegrowing methods are guided by regular analysis of the estate's soils. The harvest is pressed in the estate's historic press, with fractioning based on the duration and the pressing of the fruit rather than the extracted volume. All vinification and ageing take place in demi-muids and casks, and the estate is experimenting with small egg-shaped ceramic and concrete vats. Over the years it has eliminated interventionist measures.

• Horse-drawn ploughing, manure composts and limited yields
• Pressing in the historic press, fractioned by duration rather than extracted volume
• Vinification and ageing in demi-muids and casks; trials with small egg-shaped ceramic and concrete vats

Seeking bubbles without the addition of sucrose, the estate fine-tuned its own carbonation process in 2004 after many years of research, working exclusively with the natural sugar of its grapes; the method is the natural link between the first and the second fermentation. Today the Méthode Fabrice Pouillon is used for all of the estate's wines, and the initials M.F.P on the bottles serve as its certificate of authenticity. The range centers on Grande Vallée, an Extra-Brut from Avenay, Épernay, Festigny, Mareuil and Mutigny that the estate calls its emblematic wine, alongside a Brut Rosé from Premier Cru Mareuil, soaked for a short period of time. Parcel selections include Les Valnons (Grand Cru Aÿ, Extra-Brut), which the estate calls daring because Aÿ was the fiefdom of Pinot Noir and it opted for Chardonnay; Les Blanchiens (Premier Cru Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Brut-Nature); Le MontGruguet; Chemin du Bois; Les Terres Froides; and Les Chataigniers from Festigny, which it calls its counterculture wine because using Meunier had not been a family tradition. A Solera cuvée from Premier Cru Mareuil-sur-Aÿ blends successive vintages dating back to 1997, and the estate also makes Coteaux Champenois Rouge and Coteaux Champenois Blanc still wines from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ.

• M.F.P initials on the bottles as a certificate of authenticity
• Grande Vallée Extra-Brut: Avenay, Épernay, Festigny, Mareuil and Mutigny
• Solera Extra-Brut: Premier Cru Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, vintages dating back to 1997
• Still wines: Coteaux Champenois Rouge and Coteaux Champenois Blanc

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://champagne-pouillon.com/en/, https://champagne-pouillon.com/winemakers-mareuil-sur-ay/, https://champagne-pouillon.com/our-convictions/, https://champagne-pouillon.com/vintage-mareuil-sur-ay/, https://champagne-pouillon.com/vigneron-mareuil-sur-ay/, https://champagne-pouillon.com/cuvee-mareuil-sur-ay/. Secondary source: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/champagne-harvest-2022-top-quality-predicted-486214/. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.