Champagne Nicolas Maillart – Interview With Nicolas Maillart

The love of Champagne is infinite, a language that everyone can understand, a sparkle that can shine in anyone’s glass, it can connect people, brings them together and places a smile on faces around the world.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with Nicolas Maillart, the skilled Winemaker and Owner of Champagne Nicolas Maillart, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and what we can look forward to for the future of Champagne Nicolas Maillart.

It’s Great To Speak With You, Nicolas, Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself & How Your Journey Into The Champagne Industry Began?

“I’m part of a family Champagne producer with a long history (10 generations starting in 1703)

I studied at Bordeaux and then at Montpellier with a diploma in agronomic engineering and oenology.

During my studies, I travelled in Burgundy, Corsica, Loir Valley, Oregon, Ribeira del Duero, and South Africa…. discovering different aspects of my job from research on adequation graft plus varietal to biodynamic and different experiences in winemaking and consultancy.

As I grew up in a family, I was familiar with Champagne and when I was a teenager, I used to guess the vintage and composition of bottles of Champagne my father opened. But it was just a guess, obviously I didn’t drink a full glass.

So I started with the Champagne of my family then moved on to other Champagnes and when I was 18, in Bordeaux, I discovered more the red and white wines from all different areas as I had friends from Bordeaux, Loire (Antoine Foucault, Matthieu Baudry, Bertrand Sourdais, Ricardo Palacios…)….

My father was working with a cooperative and decided to leave that when I arrived in 2003 and we built a new winery. My idea was to respect and express the diversity of my vineyard (in opposition to the idea of the cooperative which is to blend everything) as my vineyard is spread over 3 villages on Montagne de Reims (Ecueil, Villers Allerand and Bouzy) all premiere and grand cru, with a diversity of soils and exposition.”

What Part Of The Wine Making Process Do You Enjoy The Most?

“I love the energy during the harvest with the decision to make of date for harvest and especially the moment where the wines are creating, so the first fermentation. It’s when you decide how to press, add dosage, whether to add in sulfites or not, time on lees, percent of new oak, presence of lees… Obviously, there is the ageing where we can also change a lot but it’s really this precise moment of the harvest with the energy of that I love.”

When It Comes To Pairing Champagne With Food, Do You Have Any Favourite Combinations That You Would Personally Recommend?

“I love Champagne with Iberico ham (Bellota), the combination of fat and savor that matches perfectly with the freshness and structured Champagne. It’s simple but so efficient.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is Running Your Own Champagne House?

“I love the fact I’m now revealing all the vineyards of my family (a large part was sold in grapes at negociant before and now I’m buying these grapes I’m managing to bottle it). To do that, I had to invest a lot and build a large stock plus a cellar. I’m really proud to be able to do that and also to be able to diversify my vineyard. To express that, I’m using the fermentation in oak barrels and try to respect the delicateness of Champagne using very soft new oak.”

What Future Plans Can Enthusiasts Of Champagne Nicolas Maillart Look Forward To In The Coming Years?

“In the coming years, I’m expanding my cellar (barrel room, new press coquard) next year and building a new tasting room with views of the vineyard. I will also add 4 new single vineyards in my range including 2 Bouzy.”

Thank you Nicolas, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Nicolas Maillart. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.