Tellier

The philosophy of a farmer-winegrower

“The land is a treasure. To bring out the best in it, we must work it with humility: observe it, listen to it and accompany it over time. Wine is a story. To allow it to express itself freely, we do not interfere with its evolution. We simply help it to take shape.”

The first vintage of Champagne Tellier

In 2016, Quentin joined his father Christophe Tellier with a shared vision for the business, combining ambition, modernity and authenticity, followed by his younger brother Alexandre in 2020. In a modern winery built above the historic cellars, Quentin’s first harvest marked a new beginning: Champagne Tellier.

A privileged location

The Tellier estate is located in the heart of the Champagne vineyards, between the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs, in Moussy, near Épernay. The plots are mainly located mid-slope and spread across five villages. Depending on their location, topography and soil structure, each plot reflects its own micro-terroir. To make the most of this diversity, they choose to vinify every plot separately.

A distinctive terroir

Although chalk remains the cornerstone of Champagne’s great terroirs, two main types of soil can be distinguished across the vineyards:

Moussy and Pierry: the historic Conardins estate

On these plots, Meunier is predominant (59%), followed by Chardonnay (35%) and a touch of Pinot Noir (6%). This terroir, with deep soils over a chalky bedrock, gives the wines structure, power and length.

Chavot, Fontaine-sur-Aÿ and Cramant

These four small plots lie on shallow soils over exposed chalk. This terroir primarily brings elegance and minerality to the wines.

A living plant heritage

The vineyards are 35 years old on average, with the oldest vines planted in 1964. All the grapes come from their own vineyards. A large proportion of the vines comes from massal selection, a method consisting of selecting vines bearing the finest fruit, then propagating and replanting them. This practice was largely abandoned at the end of the 20th century in favour of cloning, which is more productive. Massal selection allows them to preserve the vineyard’s genetic heritage.

A natural approach to vineyard management

With as little intervention as possible, they tend their vines using a sustainable farming approach adapted to their environment. The estate has been HVE (High Environmental Value) certified since 2016, an initiative led by Christophe. His children wish to take this approach further, drawing inspiration from organic and biodynamic farming methods. They deliberately preserve certain traditional vineyard practices. At the same time, understanding of living ecosystems continues to evolve, and they are not afraid to experiment with new cultivation techniques.

A modern winery

The winery is designed to facilitate the work of the team while enhancing the quality of the wines.

A 6,000 kg press makes genuinely plot-by-plot pressing possible. Vinification takes place entirely at the estate, in the tanks and barrel cellar. The moderate size of the vessels allows for an artisanal, Burgundian-style approach, with each plot vinified with great precision.

Plot-by-plot pressing

Each of the 18 plots is unique. Each has its own history, soil, climate and grape varieties. To respect the origin of every grape, Quentin therefore chooses to vinify each plot separately. When the grapes reach perfect ripeness, they are traditionally harvested by hand. The grapes are taken directly to the winery for gentle pressing. Only the first press fractions, which are more aromatic and better suited to ageing, are retained for the wines. They are protected with neutral gases to limit the addition of sulphites, which can interfere with the natural expression of the wines. Always focused on preserving wine quality, Quentin carries out cold settling in temperature-controlled tanks, without enzymes, for 12 to 24 hours, retaining only the fine lees needed to nourish the yeasts.

100% barrel-aged vinification

All the wines are vinified in oak barrels, demi-muids and large oak casks, allowing their aromas to express themselves. Quentin favours oak from forests in cooler regions (Vosges, Nièvre and Allier), chosen for their fine grain. The primary fermentation is carried out using both selected yeasts and indigenous yeasts naturally present on the grape skins. This allows the yeasts to adapt to each vintage and terroir, helping to enhance the wines’ typicity.

During the eight months of ageing in wood, the still wines gradually develop their character. Quentin carries out occasional lees stirring and very frequent topping-up to avoid any risk of premature oxidation. Neither fining agents nor sulphur are added.

A creative approach to blending

Quentin carefully monitors the evolution of the wines every week until the blending stage. After the final tasting, he chooses to create a wine by blending several plots so that the different balances and flavours harmonise, while preserving the distinctive character of certain plots through 100% single-parcel wines, and highlighting the finesse of a Grand Cru or Premier Cru.

All the wines are vintage-dated. They reflect a single year, with its own particular weather conditions. After blending, the wines are bottled and taken down into the cellars, where the second fermentation takes place.

Centuries-old cellars

Beneath the winery lies an ageing cellar dating back to the 19th century. A constant temperature of 11°C throughout the year, together with high humidity, provides ideal conditions for the long, slow ageing of the wines. Another smaller cellar, dug beneath the estate’s main plot, bears witness to the history of Les Conardins. It was already in use during the Middle Ages.

Long ageing in the cellar

This marks the beginning of a long period of cellar ageing, at least 40 months. Time is not a constraint; it is a strength. Some wines will spend many additional years ageing before revealing their full harmony. Time must be allowed to work its magic, so that the wines can assert themselves and develop their finesse and complexity. Patience and trust are the key principles of successful ageing.

At the end of this long transformation, the wines are riddled and then disgorged, with a subtle finishing touch provided by the dosage liqueur. All the Champagnes are Brut or Extra Brut; little or no sugar is added.

A commitment to sustainable and organic viticulture

With as little intervention as possible, and by tending their vines through a sustainable farming approach adapted to their environment, the Tellier family naturally began the transition towards organic viticulture.