ADAM-MEREAUX
Champagne, France
Situated in the village of Berru, just a stone’s throw from Reims, it’s an exciting time for Adam-Méreaux. Fourth generation vigneron Estelle Hecht is a tremendous young talent and, together with her husband Clement Méreaux, a Verzenay-based vigneron himself, the tandem craft wonderfully approachable, vivacious Blanc de Blancs Champagnes. For the last several vintages, the couple vinified their Berru-grown Chardonnay at the same cooperative Estelle’s grandfather helped found, borrowing only equipment and space for their production. When the cooperative took a hardline and refused to permit the fruit grown in Clement’s small Verzenay holdings on the premises, Estelle’s pioneering spirit took hold and the couple embarked on a search for the perfect space to build a winery of their own.
At this very moment, the finishing touches are being put on their reimagined winery and cellar in the heart of Verzenay, set to bottle its first wines in 2023. Once complete, they will be at full strength, finalizing their transformation from récoltant coopérateur to récoltant manipulant, better known here in the U.S. as “Grower Champagne.”
For now, their Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut and “L’Affût” bottlings are enough to encourage true enthusiasm. Their seven hectares of vines yield beautiful fruit of serious quality thanks to their painstaking practices in the vineyards combined with Estelle’s generational know-how. Each of their 40 plots are farmed organically with official certification expected next year.
Wines