Chavost

In the imagination of every wine lover, Champagne is associated with historic maisons, frescoed halls and centuries-old traditions. A rigorous, almost aristocratic image. Yet in the heart of France’s celebrated wine region, there is a producer proving that it is possible to create excellent, distinctive and contemporary wines from a completely different concept: cooperation and a return to nature in its purest form. Champagne Chavost is undoubtedly a fine example of this new trend. Founded in 1946 in Chavot-Courcourt, a charming village in the Côte des Blancs, Chavost began as a traditional winegrowers’ cooperative. For decades, its members simply cultivated their own vineyards while joining forces. But with the arrival of the young and forward-thinking cellar master Fabian Daviaux, a genuine revolution began. Chavost decided to take a bold step, transforming itself into one of the very few cooperatives to embrace an extremely low-intervention philosophy and becoming a global benchmark for lovers of “natural” Champagne. No added sulphites, no added sugar – all its Champagnes are strictly Brut Nature – and no assistance from enzymes or laboratory-selected yeasts. Fermentation takes place exclusively thanks to indigenous yeasts naturally present on the skins of the hand-harvested grapes. Even the traditional clarification processes before bottling are avoided. The goal is simple yet ambitious: to remove every filter between the soil and the glass, allowing the terroir to express itself without artifice. Chapeau!