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Champagne Moutard Vignes Beugneux Cotes des Bar Pinot Noir Brut : Personality & Concentration !December 6, 2016
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Champagne Moutard Père & Fils ‘Champ Persin’ Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay Brut, Côte des Bars : Balance & Personality !December 6, 2016
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2008 Champagne Moutard Père & Fils Cuvée des 6 Cépages : a wine to experience !December 7, 2016
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Domaine Moutard Crémant de Bourgogne Vinifié en Foudre Brut, Sparkling Burgundy WineDecember 17, 2016
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Domaine Moutard Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé, Pink Sparkling Burgundy WineDecember 19, 2016
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Moutard Crémant de Bourgogne 3 Cépages Brut, Sparkling Wine from BurgundyDecember 19, 2016
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Moutard Crémant de Bourgogne Les Vignolles Brut Chardonnay, Sparkling Burgundy WineJanuary 2, 2017
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Moutard Climat de Champagne ‘Les Perrières’ Pinot Noir Brut Nature, Côtes des BarsJanuary 11, 2018
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2016 Domaine Moutard Sulfite-Free Irancy La Croix Bouteix Pinot Noir, BurgundyJanuary 29, 2018
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Moutard Père et Fils Climat de Champagne Les Troncs Pinot Noir Brut Nature, Côte des BarJune 2, 2018
I was recently invited, just before Christmas 2016 (yes last year it was!!), to discover a family of vignerons (wine growers) in Champagne.
The Famille Moutard winery and distillery is located in the small village of Buxeuil, in the Côte de Bars area in the Southern part of the Champagne region (the Aube department).
Not only did I find a family of extremely welcoming people, but also did I discover a whole universe of wines and fine spirits.
Because Moutard is located at the very South of the Champagne region, their winery is therefore geographically closer to Burgundy that it is from the heart of Champagne around Reims and Epernay.
The Moutards have therefore expanded their vineyards and ownings not in Champagne, but further South in the relatively cheaper yet very qualitative regions of Burgundy and Chablis, areas that share the same Kimeridgian soils as their Côte des Bars base.
Follow me as we discover in words, videos, and wine reviews the universe of an old family of Champagne wine growers that shine with tradition and passion.
Meet the Moutard Familly In Video
3 Centuries of History… In Brief
Settled in Aube since the 17th century, ancestors of the Moutard planted their first vines on the hills around the Buxeuil village in 1642, twelve years before Champagne was introduced to the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King.
In Buxeuil, grapevines have been cultivated since the 12th century. This family of winemakers and ploughmen left a legacy that has been perpetuated by their heirs for more than three centuries.
The Famille Moutard archives attest of a winemaking activity on the Aube hillsides since the Belle Epoque. In 1906, Louis Diligent already cultivated vines in Buxeuil, a picturesque village, where the Seine River flows and where the Moutards still live.
Louis Diligent’s son, Hyacinthe, was fond of the land and its vineyards, and so he developed clear wines destined to the traders of the Marne. Since the end of the 19th century, he also experimented with the distillation of fruit in copper pot stills.
The Moutards, like all winemakers from Aube, joined the appellation “Champagne Deuxième Zone” in 1911 after the Révolte des vignerons champenois (Riot of the Champagne region winemakers).
In 1927, while he had only been making wine for renowned Champagne trading houses, François, son of Hyacinthe Diligent, launched his own champagne house under his own name, producing wine from his 1.5 hectares of vineyards.
So was the Famille Moutard Champagne House born.
The passion for the champagne terroir continued through Josette Diligent, daughter of François, who married Lucien Moutard in 1958. The couple decided to put their vineyards together and make them
thrive. They settled in Buxeuil, where they built their premises and the family cellars.
In 1973, the production growth lead to modernization of the winery with stainless steel tanks.
At the end of the 1980s, Lucien Moutard decided to revive the 19th century family distillery firing up the ancient stills to start making fruit liquors and spirits from champagne marc (vinace).
In 1980, the third generation of winemakers in the family started to emerge. The Moutard children, Agnès, Dominique and François, joined the holding. Working on the field as well as blending and managing, they developed the activity quite quickly and considerably extended the vineyard holdings. They bought a few old champagne houses in the villages of Buxeuil and Les Riceys, which allow them to benefit from a remarkable web of vaulted cellars from the 18th and 19th centuries.
More recently, they expanded a part of their production facilities along with their storage area, while maintaining the traditional aging in oak barrels, a distinctive characteristic of their production.
In 2002, the last family plots of land were planted, raising the size of the domain up to 22.5 hectares.
Vivid supporters of the Côte-des-Bar soil and ancient varieties, the Moutards planted Arbane and Petit Meslier vines that allow them to produce unique champagnes in the whole appellation area.
Their 100 % Arbane Vieilles vignes (Old Vines) and Six Cépages (Six Varieties) vintages make them internationally renowned pioneers of ancient varieties wine-growing and fine blending.
In 2004, to insure the transmission of their expertise to their offspring, the Famille Moutard expanded in the Tonnerois, in Burgundy adjacent to the Aube department and only a few miles away from Buxeuil.
Just like the Chablis area, this terroir is located on the same geological stratum as the Côte-des-Bar, on Kimeridgian soil.
Their vineyard in Bourgogne is called Domaine Moutard-Diligent and so are labeled all Moutard Burgundy wine.
Today, the fourth generation of Moutards are involved in the business and perpetuating the family tradition.
Vineyards
The Moutard Family owns and manage vineyards both in Champagne (about 23 ha) and Burgundy (nearly 40 ha).
Being relatively close geographically, they share the similar geological origins and the Kimeridgian limestone-based soils that have made the fame of Chablis wines in particular.
Moutard-Diligent Vineyards in Bourgogne (Burgundy):
- Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume: 0.25 ha
- Chablis 1er Cru Léchet: 0.16 ha
- Chablis: 1 ha
- Petit Chablis: 0.5 ha
- Tonnerre: 4 ha
- Epineuil: 3.5 ha
- Irancy: 1 ha
- Crémant de Bourgogne: 29 ha
Champagne Moutard Vineyards:
- Arbane: 1.3 ha
- Petit Meslier: 1.1 ha
- Pinot Blanc: 1.5 ha
- Pinot Noir: 14 ha
- Chardonnay: 5.7 ha
- Pinot Meunier: 0.7 ha
Moutard Champagne house also buys grapes from its négociant business to complete and complement its production and range of wines.
The Moutard Wines
Browse below our wine reviews on Moutard Champagne and Burgundy wines
Moutard Wines & Food
See a few examples shared on Julien Miquel’s Social Media Channels of how beautifully Moutard wines can pair with food:
Launching 6 Crémants de Bourgogne Sparkling Wines
On the 9th December 2016, Moutard Family officially launched a complete range of 6 new Crémants de Bourgogne sparkling wines.
Learn more with our article Domaine Moutard Launches 6 Crémants de Bourgogne Sparkling Wines
The Distillery
Built during the 19th century, the distillery now operates with 5 copper pot stills.
It is one of the very few artisanal distilleries remaining in Champagne.
Besides the raspberry, pear, vine peach and sloe liquors, the Distillerie Moutard is mostly renowned for its “6 Cépages” (6 vine varieties) XO champagne marc.
Since 2015, the distillery is labelled Ecocert, which certifies the sustainability and the organic nature of the Moutard-Diligent spirits’ production.
Some products such as the champagne marc and soon, the “Fine champenoise” (a kind of wine spirit), benefit from the Organic agriculture label.
Watch the Moutard distillery in Video
Moutard Distillery produces around 170K bottles of spirits every year including:
- 5K bottles of Marx de Champagne Blanc
- 3K bottles of Vieux Marc de Champagne
- 800 btles of Poire Williams
- 1000 btls of Prunelle (plum brandy)
- 600 btles of Franboise (rasberry brandy)
- Various liqueurs including prunelle, raspberry, peche de vignes and mandarin
- 5K bottles of Ratafia de Champagne
- 300 btles of Brandy
- 200 hl of Marc used in the fine food industry
Other Moutard Videos