Alexandre Chartogne is an exceptional young vigneron crafting delicious, terroir-focused Grower Champagnes in the Vallée de la Marne. After training under Anselme Selosse – widely considered to be the godfather of the Grower movement – Alexandre took over his family’s estate, Chartogne-Taillet, at just 23.
Established by the Romans and later expanded by Benedictine monks in the 7th century, Merfy was prized for its wines until the village and its vineyards were destroyed during the First World War. Chartogne-Taillet, the only récoltant-manipulant (grower-producer) in the village, is spearheading its revival.
Alexandre’s single-plot cuvées express the many different soil types in Merfy and are as delicious as they are diverse: nuanced and effortless, they are deeply rooted in terroir. Assisted by Claude and Lydia Bourguignon – renowned microbiologists who advise the likes of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Dujac – he farms organically and by hand. In the winery, Alexandre uses oak barrels, steel tanks, and concrete eggs to create multi-layered, age-defying wines.
