adrien renoir
Adrien Renoir
Verzy
montagne de reims - champagne
story…
Four generations of the Renoir family have been involved in wine production in Champagne. Adrien Renoir only just recently took control of the domaine after having the reins passed down to him in 2014 by his father, Vincent Renoir. The two, like many father & son winemakers, have and continue to have quite different views, yet worked together for Adrien’s first two vintages before Adrien took full controll in 2016. Although Vincent didn’t agree with Adrien’s push for cleaner farming, noting that it wasn’t achievable so far north in Champagne, he allowed him to make the conversion as long as it was done slowly and cautiously.
The wines now bear the name of the fourth generation on the label, having previously been labeled as Vincent Renoir. At only 29 years old Adrien is already proving to be a force to reckon with in Champagne. He has pretty swiftly adjusted many things at the domaine, including switching to organic farming, adjustments in the cellar primarily increased use of oak for fermentations and aging. He has also diversified the line-up of bottlings to focus more on the unique parcels and terroirs that his family has cultivated for generations.
farming & Philosophy…
Much of the tension between Adrien and his father in the beginning came down to Adrien’s insistence to farm organic and biodynamically. Vincent was convinced, like so many in the region from his generation, that farming without modern chemicals so far north in Champagne would be difficult if not impossible. However Adrien pushed and began converting the vineyards over one small parcel at a time. The entire estate has now been fully converted to organic since 2016 and as of the 2017 harvest it has been officially certified. Adrien also practices biodynamics but is not yet certified.
Along with more forward thinking in the vineyards Adrien has also changed up the cellar practices. Moving more and more away from stainless steel and opting to use more oak, in varying sizes, for his fermentations and aging. All wines produced in 2017 and after have been fermented and aged entirely in neutral oak before being aged in bottle on the lees. He has also started to bottle single lieu dits on their own, beginning with the 2014 vintage with the “Les Montants" parcel and then adding to the range in 2015 with a bottling of his “Les Epinettes” parcel. Adrien has another single lieu dit bottling in the works from his “Les Vignes Goisses” parcel. All of Adrien’s single lieu dit bottlings are planted to massale selection cuttings and were planted between 1961 and 1971.
Vineyards…
The Renoir’s own around 7 hectares of vines, 6 in Verzy and 1 in Tours-sur-Marne & Berru. However for their domaine bottlings the fruit comes exclusively from their 5 best hectares in Verzy, the rest is sold off to other houses. Adrien works with 3 prized lieu dits of old massale selection vines, which is not as rare as you would think in Verzy. Roughly 50-60% of the village is planted to massale selections that were planted prior to 1965.
Les Montants
planted to both Pinot Noir (70%) & Chardonnay (30%) in chalk with fairly shallow topsoil | vines were planted in 1961 | Adrien uses only the Chardonnay for his Les Montants lieu dit bottling, the Pinot goes towards other cuvées in his line-up
Les Epinettes
planted exclusively to Pinot Noir in primarily clay-limestone soils with some chalk | vines were planted in 1971
Les Vignes Goisses
a 100% Pinot Meunier parcel planted in 1962 | Adrien intends to begin bottling this as a single lieu dit with the 2016 harvested fruit
