Frederic Savart

"In the world of grower Champagne, Frédéric Savart is one of the most visible and extroverted figures. His Champagnes, crafted from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in the villages of Écueil and Villers-aux-Noeuds, have rapidly become some of the most talked-about, largely owing to his limited-production, single-vineyard cuvées.

The first vintage that Frédéric, a third-generation grower, participated in was 1994, working alongside his father. However, it was in 2003 that he decided to leave behind a fledgling career as a professional footballer to return to the domaine and assume control of the estate. Almost immediately, he transformed the estate’s viticultural practices, adopting organic methods by eliminating the use of herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. He also introduced barrel aging, drawing inspiration from Burgundy wines and citing Domaine d'Auvenay as a key influence. The pivotal year for shaping the range we know today was 2012, when Savart began utilizing the press of his neighbor, Nicolas Maillart.

Today, Savart cultivates 4.5 hectares of vines and supplements his production with significant quantities of purchased fruit. His farming practices adhere to organic principles, with the exception of a treatment used to control mildew. “I like new wood and the reductive qualities that come from aging on solids,” Savart admits. His vins clairs undergo fermentation in barrels of varying sizes, predominantly between 350 and 600 liters, with a substantial percentage of new oak, primarily sourced from Cavin, Tremeaux and Atelier Centre France. He also experiments with aging some of his small cuvées in glass Wineglobes. Reserve wines are stored in tanks along with their fine lees. All wines spend 10 months sur lie, and all vintage cuvées are aged under cork rather than cap. Sulfites are used sparingly, only during pressing, and dosage is kept to a minimum." - Kristaps Karklins, robertparker.com