Régis Poissinet

Régis Poissinet took over his family's estate in Cuchery, in the Vallée de la Marne, in 2008, and changed the way it was farmed. He stopped using herbicides and brought in a horse to work the soil. In 2017 he committed to organic farming, with biodynamic practices alongside, and the first certified organic harvest came in 2020.

The family has grown vines here for generations, though accounts of how far back differ, and the estate as it stands dates to 1947. Today it covers 7 hectares in 35 plots across five villages: Cuchery, Troissy, Leuvrigny, Baslieux and Mareuil-le-Port. The soils are clay-limestone and limestone-silt.

Meunier is the great majority of the vines, with Chardonnay and a little Pinot Noir. The wines are raised in a mix of barrels and vats. Dosages stay low, from about 1.7 to 3.5 g/L. The range is built around the Irizée name: Irizée Meunier and Irizée Chardonnay on their own, Terre d'Irizée as the blend, alongside a rosé and still Coteaux Champenois. His son Maxime, the sixth generation, now works alongside him.

In a valley best known for Meunier, the Poissinets have kept it at the centre, and Régis gave it a cuvée of its own.