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Buy Wine from Étienne Calsac
Champagne Étienne Calsac is one of those rarities that does not shout to be heard. A low but firm voice that resonates clearly with those who know how to listen. From his tiny cellar in Avize one of the most coveted communes of the Côte des Blancs, Calsac has been rewriting the codes of classic Champagne from the ground up for several years.
From heritage to signature wine
Although its first vintages were only released in 2010, the story begins earlier. Heir to just 2.8 hectares of his grandfather's vineyard, spread between Avize, Grauves and Bisseuil, Étienne Calsac decided to break with the logic of the négoce, that figure so widespread in Champagne where winegrowers sell the grapes and rarely bottle their work. Instead, he opted to vinify himself, tending each plot as if it were a private garden. Literally. He takes care of the field work himself, with an almost obsessive attention to the microbial life of the soil, avoiding herbicides and all synthetic treatments. The aim is not certification - he is not interested in empty labels - but to give back to the soil its ability to express itself without intermediaries.
Chardonnay with the accent on the land
Most of his vineyards are planted with Chardonnay, with an average age of 30 to 50 years. But the interesting thing is not the variety - the Côte des Blancs is white territory par excellence - but how this variety expresses itself according to the location. Étienne Calsac works on what he calls "micro-cuvées": wines born from small plots, vinified separately, in which he seeks to capture what happens underground, rather than above.
Les Rocheforts: pure chalk in the glass
The jewel of his production (if we may be allowed that sole licence) is the cuvée Les Rocheforts, a blanc de blancs from a single plot in Avize on deep chalky soils, where the chalk outcrops almost at the surface. The wine is not explained by tasting notes, but by texture: a linear tension that seems to spring straight from the ground. It is a Champagne without make-up, without dosage, without wood. Just fruit, chalk, and time on the lees. In fact, Calsac wines spend at least 36 months on the lees in bottle, even their youngest cuvées, in a deliberate effort to integrate acidity, polish edges and reveal hidden layers of complexity.
New looks - L'Échappée Belle and Les Revenants
Apart from his great plot wines, Étienne Calsac also makes cuvées that represent his more direct and free style. The first is L'Échappée Belle Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, a precise blend of Chardonnay from different plots on chalky soils. It is a more "open" expression of their philosophy: no oak, spontaneous fermentation and long ageing on lees. The result is a vibrant, sharp Champagne, with notes of lime, yuzu zest and white flowers, but always with the house's signature chalky minerality.
Even more unique is their cuvée Les Revenants, a tribute to the almost forgotten old Champagne varieties. This blend features vines such as Petit Meslier, Arbane and Pinot Blanc, grown organically and vinified separately. The name, "those who return", alludes precisely to this rescue of the past to re-imagine the future. It is a surprising wine, with a delicate texture, vibrant acidity and an unusual aromatic profile: wild flowers, mandarin peel, a hint of almond.
Clos des Maladries - A living history within walls
Étienne Calsac has also pioneered something increasingly common among new-generation vignerons: the revival of forgotten vines. In 2013, he discovered and began working with a plot of old ungrafted vines planted before the devastating passage of phylloxera. This small vineyard, christened Clos des Maladries, is completely enclosed by walls and produces less than 1,000 bottles a year. It is not sold in shops, it has no marketing, and its name does not appear on the labels: it is a silent statement of what Champagne was, and could be again.
A philosophy that prioritises the truth of wine
Étienne Calsac' s philosophy is not revolutionary in appearance, but it is revolutionary in depth. He rejects generic blends, the assemblage of regions, the standardisation of taste. He believes in parcel identity, in precise vinification without artifice, in slow rhythms. He does not clarify, does not filter, and bottles with minimal or no dosage, depending on each wine. His tirajes are made with his own yeasts, and his aim is not technical perfection, but the truth of the vineyard.
In a region where for decades volume has prevailed over individuality, the emergence of producers like Étienne Calsac is a clear sign of change. And although his production barely reaches 20,000 bottles a year, his influence goes far beyond that. Because when a wine speaks out, even if it does so in a low voice, it does not need to raise its voice for the world to hear it.
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Buy Wine from Étienne Calsac
Champagne Étienne Calsac is one of those rarities that does not shout to be heard. A low but firm voice that resonates clearly with those who know how to listen. From his tiny cellar in Avize one of the most coveted communes of the Côte des Blancs, Calsac has been rewriting the codes of classic Champagne from the ground up for several years.
From heritage to signature wine
Although its first vintages were only released in 2010, the story begins earlier. Heir to just 2.8 hectares of his grandfather's vineyard, spread between Avize, Grauves and Bisseuil, Étienne Calsac decided to break with the logic of the négoce, that figure so widespread in Champagne where winegrowers sell the grapes and rarely bottle their work. Instead, he opted to vinify himself, tending each plot as if it were a private garden. Literally. He takes care of the field work himself, with an almost obsessive attention to the microbial life of the soil, avoiding herbicides and all synthetic treatments. The aim is not certification - he is not interested in empty labels - but to give back to the soil its ability to express itself without intermediaries.
Chardonnay with the accent on the land
Most of his vineyards are planted with Chardonnay, with an average age of 30 to 50 years. But the interesting thing is not the variety - the Côte des Blancs is white territory par excellence - but how this variety expresses itself according to the location. Étienne Calsac works on what he calls "micro-cuvées": wines born from small plots, vinified separately, in which he seeks to capture what happens underground, rather than above.
Les Rocheforts: pure chalk in the glass
The jewel of his production (if we may be allowed that sole licence) is the cuvée Les Rocheforts, a blanc de blancs from a single plot in Avize on deep chalky soils, where the chalk outcrops almost at the surface. The wine is not explained by tasting notes, but by texture: a linear tension that seems to spring straight from the ground. It is a Champagne without make-up, without dosage, without wood. Just fruit, chalk, and time on the lees. In fact, Calsac wines spend at least 36 months on the lees in bottle, even their youngest cuvées, in a deliberate effort to integrate acidity, polish edges and reveal hidden layers of complexity.
New looks - L'Échappée Belle and Les Revenants
Apart from his great plot wines, Étienne Calsac also makes cuvées that represent his more direct and free style. The first is L'Échappée Belle Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, a precise blend of Chardonnay from different plots on chalky soils. It is a more "open" expression of their philosophy: no oak, spontaneous fermentation and long ageing on lees. The result is a vibrant, sharp Champagne, with notes of lime, yuzu zest and white flowers, but always with the house's signature chalky minerality.
Even more unique is their cuvée Les Revenants, a tribute to the almost forgotten old Champagne varieties. This blend features vines such as Petit Meslier, Arbane and Pinot Blanc, grown organically and vinified separately. The name, "those who return", alludes precisely to this rescue of the past to re-imagine the future. It is a surprising wine, with a delicate texture, vibrant acidity and an unusual aromatic profile: wild flowers, mandarin peel, a hint of almond.
Clos des Maladries - A living history within walls
Étienne Calsac has also pioneered something increasingly common among new-generation vignerons: the revival of forgotten vines. In 2013, he discovered and began working with a plot of old ungrafted vines planted before the devastating passage of phylloxera. This small vineyard, christened Clos des Maladries, is completely enclosed by walls and produces less than 1,000 bottles a year. It is not sold in shops, it has no marketing, and its name does not appear on the labels: it is a silent statement of what Champagne was, and could be again.
A philosophy that prioritises the truth of wine
Étienne Calsac' s philosophy is not revolutionary in appearance, but it is revolutionary in depth. He rejects generic blends, the assemblage of regions, the standardisation of taste. He believes in parcel identity, in precise vinification without artifice, in slow rhythms. He does not clarify, does not filter, and bottles with minimal or no dosage, depending on each wine. His tirajes are made with his own yeasts, and his aim is not technical perfection, but the truth of the vineyard.
In a region where for decades volume has prevailed over individuality, the emergence of producers like Étienne Calsac is a clear sign of change. And although his production barely reaches 20,000 bottles a year, his influence goes far beyond that. Because when a wine speaks out, even if it does so in a low voice, it does not need to raise its voice for the world to hear it.