Collection: Champagne Nowack

Champagne Nowack: A Vision of Terroir-Driven Elegance in Vallée de la Marne

Located in the village of Vandières within Champagne’s Vallée de la Marne, Champagne Nowack is a family estate founded in 1795 that has redefined tradition through its commitment to organic viticulture, biodynamic practices, and a profound respect for terroir. Today, under the stewardship of eighth-generation vigneron Flavien Nowack, the estate has emerged as a beacon of artisanal Champagne, celebrated for its purity, innovation, and dedication to expressing the nuances of Pinot Meunier, the region’s signature grape.

Philosophy and Viticulture
Flavien Nowack, a protégé of Champagne luminary Anselme Selosse, has spearheaded a transformative shift toward organic and biodynamic farming since taking the reins in 2011. Inheriting 10 hectares of vineyards (75% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Noir), he eliminated herbicides and synthetic chemicals, opting instead for biodiversity-enhancing practices such as cover crops, agroforestry, and sheep grazing to manage vineyard grasses. His vineyards, planted with massal-selection vines passed down through generations, thrive on diverse soils, chalk, limestone, clay, and fossil-rich marl, across elevations of 50 to 180 meters.

Winemaking Innovation
Champagne Nowack distinguishes itself through meticulous, low-intervention winemaking. Flavien employs spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts, avoids chaptalization, and uses unfermented grape must to trigger secondary fermentation, a rare technique that preserves the wines’ natural character. His wines age under cork (rather than crown caps) for 18–40 months on lees, resulting in fine bubbles and a textured, vinous quality. Notably, his experimental cuvée Les Arpents Rouges develops under a voile (flor-like yeast layer), akin to Jura’s oxidative wines, yielding savory umami and red fruit complexity.

Signature Cuvées
The portfolio showcases single-parcel, single-vintage bottlings that highlight Vallée de la Marne’s terroir:
La Fontinette (Blanc de Meunier): From mid-slope clay-limestone soils, this 100% Meunier offers notes of violet, honey, and chalk, with a saline finish.
Les Bauchets (Blanc de Noir): A rare 100% Pinot Noir from sandy limestone, bursting with peach, citrus, and carame.
La Tuilerie (Blanc de Blancs): A Chardonnay-dominated cuvée from sandy marl, praised for its opulent stone fruit and mineral precision.
Sans Année (NV): A non-vintage blend of Meunier and Chardonnay, incorporating reserve wines aged up to a decade, balanced by a 1.5 g/L dosage of grape must.

Producing just 10,000–50,000 bottles annually (depending on the cuvée), Champagne Nowack epitomizes boutique excellence. Flavien’s work has revitalized Vallée de la Marne’s reputation, earning acclaim for wines that harmonize power and finesse by integrating ancestral practices with modern ecological stewardship.

For connoisseurs seeking Champagnes of authenticity and depth, Nowack’s creations, marked by their crystalline acidity, layered minerality, and artisanal ethos, offer a compelling narrative of tradition re-imagined.

Champagne Nowack：Vallée de la Marne 的風土革新者

Champagne Nowack 酒莊坐落於香檳區 Vallée de la Marne 的 Vandières 村，自 1795 年創立以來，歷經八代傳承，現由 Flavien Nowack 掌舵。這座家族莊園以有機種植、生物動力法與極致風土表達聞名，重新定義了當地標誌性品種 Pinot Meunier 的優雅潛力，成為工藝香檳的革新典範。

哲學與葡萄栽培
Flavien Nowack 師承香檳傳奇 Anselme Selosse，自 2011 年接管酒莊後，將 10 公頃葡萄園（75% Pinot Meunier、25% Chardonnay、10% Pinot Noir）全面轉型為有機與生物動力法管理。禁用除草劑與合成化學物質，改以覆蓋作物、混農林業與羊群放牧促進生態平衡。葡萄藤源自百年「massal-selection」（植株選種），紮根於白堊土、石灰岩、黏土與化石泥灰岩的多變地層，海拔分佈 50-180 公尺，賦予酒液複雜礦物層次。

釀造革新
自然發酵：僅用天然酵母，拒絕加糖（chaptalization），並以未發酵葡萄汁誘導二次發酵，保留酒款原生性格
陳年工藝：酒渣接觸 18-40 個月，以軟木塞替代皇冠蓋封瓶，塑造細緻氣泡與酒體質感
實驗酒款：如 Les Arpents Rouges 透過「voile」（類 flor 酵母層）氧化熟成，發展出鮮味與紅果複雜度，呼應 Jura 產區風格

標誌性酒款
La Fontinette（Blanc de Meunier）：100% Pinot Meunier，源自黏土-石灰岩中坡地塊；風味：紫羅蘭、蜂蜜、白堊岩礦感，尾韻帶鹹感
Les Bauchets（Blanc de Noir）：罕見 100% Pinot Noir，砂質石灰岩土壤；風味：水蜜桃、柑橘、焦糖化蘋果
La Tuilerie（Blanc de Blancs）：Chardonnay 主導，砂質泥灰岩地塊；風味：豐郁核果與燧石礦物精準度
Sans Année（無年份混釀）：混釀 Pinot Meunier 與 Chardonnay，含 10 年陳儲備酒；補糖量僅 1.5 g/L，平衡鮮活酸度

年產量僅 10,000-50,000 瓶，Champagne Nowack 以「微型產量、宏觀理念」重塑 Vallée de la Marne 的國際聲譽。Flavien 釀造出兼具力道與細膩的香檳，被譽為「風土的透明鏡像」。

（註：Vallée de la Marne 為香檳區以 Pinot Meunier 聞名的子產區；massal-selection 指從老藤選取枝條繁殖的種植方式）