R. Gerbaux Champagne L'Empreinte de Roger L'Epicurien Brut

This family business history began in 1920 in the small Champagne village of Crouttes-sur-Marne. Each generation has left its mark by creating its emblematic cuvée.

Nestled in a hilly landscape, Champagne house R. Gerbaux's 10 hectares spread over thirty plots overlooking the Marne Valley. They grow the three principal Champagne grape varieties: 56% Meunier, 25% Chardonnay and 19% of Pinot noir, which allow them to offer rich and balanced wines that reveal the different typicalities of their terroir made of clay, chalk and limestone soils.

The history
It all started with Solange, great-granddaughter of winegrowers, who married Raymond Gerbaux. At first, they grew grapes for sale to the big Champagne houses. Very early on, Raymond threw into making his white wine which he also marketed himself. Subsequently, he decided to try his first experiments of bottle fermentation and became one of the precursors of champagne making in our area. After the Second World War, along with his son, Roger, dug a cellar designated especially for Champagne ageing. Today, it is Régis who is passing on his passion for viticulture and oenology to his daughter and son-in-law, Juliette and Pieter, the fourth generation.

A vineyard more respectful of nature
As viticulturists, their philosophy is to take care of the ecosystem and consider all the risks of pollution and erosion, which makes it more respectful of nature and its biodiversity. This approach allows their terroir to express itself fully to create the best possible wines. Also, since his arrival, Pieter has focused more on tillage and grazing, limiting herbicides, and making viticulture even more qualitative. This hard work has allowed us to achieve HVE (High Environment Valor) level 3 certification.

From the vineyard to the cellar
They are winegrowers-winemakers in the Marne Valley, which means they produce their champagnes from their grapes. They do everything themselves, the planting, the management of the vineyard, the harvest, the pressing, and the vinification until the sale of champagne, everything done in their domain. The grapes at perfect maturity are harvested only by hand. It is then carefully brought to the press to obtain musts almost without lees.

From these juices, the fermentation will take place quietly in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. During the winter, the wine will take its time to age and develop some aromas until the final bottling in the spring. Then the bottles will go to the winery, dug into the hillside where the temperature stays around 11°C, the humidity level is uniform and constant, making it a privileged place for Champagne ageing.

Each cuvée reveals the personality of these men who marked the existence of the domain R. Gerbaux. A unique taste linked to the passion and the knowledge of each generation.